An Unspoken Truth
by Theoretical-Optimist
Summary: Rose Weasley, who does not fail at anything, is failing miserably at work. Meanwhile, Scorpius Malfoy is searching for the truth behind a family tragedy. Is it possible that the answers to their questions lie in one another? Cursed Child Compliant. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them references. Rated for language and sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

These wonderful characters and this magical universe were created by JK Rowling and Jack Thorne. I own nothing.

* * *

Rose Weasley fought back another yawn. She glanced at the grand clock across the ballroom and inwardly groaned. Only forty-seven minutes left until she could apparate home and exchange her uncomfortable heels for slippers.

Every year, she was required to attend the Ministry of Magic's Yuletide Gala. In previous years, the event hadn't been so dreadful. Typically, Rose would spend the evening drinking, laughing, and dancing with her cousins and friends. But this year, Rose was quite alone. Lily was working an overnight shift at St. Mungo's and Roxanne was visiting Uncle Charlie in Romania. Her best friend Alice Longbottom was in attendance, but she spent the night waltzing around the dance floor with Albus.

Rose was overjoyed when Alice and Albus finally started dating in August. Alice had pined for Albus since fifth year when they were both made prefects and assigned to do rounds together. Albus, like many teenage boys, was oblivious to Alice's feelings and treated her only as a friend. Six years later, Alice, with a little liquid courage, took matters into her own hands and planted a kiss on him at her twenty-first birthday party. After Albus got over the shock, he enthusiastically returned the kiss. Rose was thrilled for her friend and favorite cousin, but she missed having her allies at events like these.

Instead, Rose spent the evening making small talk with some of her coworkers. Although they worked in the same department, she knew next to nothing about her colleagues' research. Such was the way with the Department of Mysteries. Rose's own research involved animagus transformations.

While at Hogwarts, Rose read every book she could get find on the subject in the hopes that she would become a registered animagus upon graduation. Her dream had been to join her Uncle Harry in the Auror Office. Being able to include animagus as a special skill on her application to the department would have helped to jumpstart her career as an undercover operative.

Rose studied animagus theory and followed all the proper legal channels. She held a mandrake leaf in her mouth and endured quite a bit of teasing from the Head Boy when she recited the incantation (Amato Animo Animato Animagus) in their common room every night for a month. She properly brewed the potion and considered what her animagus form might be. However, she was never able to achieve any form of transformation. It infuriated Rose to fail at anything.

She had earned 10 N.E.W.T.s her final year at Hogwarts while serving as both Head Girl and the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Rose had been told for years that she took after her mother, the brightest witch of her age and current Minister of Magic. Failure just wasn't in either of their vocabularies. Rose was compelled to delve deeper into the magic behind animagus transformation and determine why some witches and wizards were able to achieve it while others weren't.

Upon graduation, Rose accepted a position within the Department of Mysteries. She was given great leeway as to the direction of her research. So far, she had been unable to find a discernable reason for why she was unable to transform. She was, however, making progress in her research on animagus forms and their relation to the witch or wizard's patronus. Last year, Rose reached out to the Transfiguration Professor, Faso, at Uagadou, the Ugandan School of Magic. Many students their chose to become animagus and Rose was allowed to study their transformations.

Rose wished she was able to share her worked with her friends, family, or even her colleagues. The Department of Mysteries was shrouded in secrecy and all work must remain unspoken until there are conclusive results. Even Professor Faso was required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement about Rose's work.

So tonight, instead of discussing the interesting and complex work of the Department of Mysteries, Rose and her coworkers were reduced to small talk and office gossip. Rose was not a heartless person, but she just didn't care that Gwen from the Department of Magical Transportation was sneaking around with her married boss or that Unspeakable O'Brien's niece's best friend had lost her first tooth.

Rose tuned O'Brien out while she scanned the room for her parents. She located them standing next to her Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry. The four were laughing along with Draco Malfoy. Ten years ago, that would have been an absolute shock, but things had changed after her fourth year.

Rose was aware that Albus and his best friend Scorpius Malfoy had stolen a time turner and accidentally disrupted the past in progressively cataclysmic ways. Rose never found out exactly what had occurred, but that was the turning point. Albus and Uncle Harry strengthened their relationship that had been on unstable ground since Al was sorted into Slytherin. Further, her parents and Uncle Harry developed an odd sort of friendship with Draco. Her father still referred to the man as ferret, but now insisted that it was for old time's sake rather than malice.

Rose's thoughts wandered to the younger Malfoy. When she observed her parents letting go of their past resentment of Draco, Rose decided to give Scorpius a chance to be her friend. Fifth year was enlightening as she discovered that she and the blonde boy had many things in common. Both strove for perfection in classes and were therefore assigned many school projects together. She found that Scorpius could be a kind, thoughtful, and generous friend. He quickly became one of Rose's best friends and her main confidant.

Scorpius was appointed Head Boy for their seventh year. Despite his slight mockery of her ability to recite the animagus incantation with a mouthful of leaves, Rose could not have asked for a better co-head. Scorpius was gracious in dividing their responsibilities equally, respectful in the use of their common room, and a great study partner. He earned almost as many Os and Rose did, falling short only in Astronomy.

Rose missed Scorpius greatly. He left for Ilvermorny shortly after graduating from Hogwarts. Higher wizarding education was available in the United States, and Scorpius wanted to study to become an advanced healer specializing in genetics. Scorpius still carried the emotional scars from his mother's early death and wanted to find a cure for the disease that took her too early.

The Ilvermorny Healer's Program was intense and prevented Scorpius from returning to England. Rose and Scorpius corresponded regularly via email. The distance was just too great for owls and many witches and wizards of Rose's generation had adopted muggle technology. The emails were wonderful, but Rose wished her friend would finally return home.

Once again, Rose glanced at the clock and breathed a sigh of relief. The Gala was set to end in five minutes. Rose bid goodnight to her coworkers and made her way across the room to her family. She noted that Albus and Alice had already disappeared for the evening and the crowd had thinned out.

"Well, I'm knackered. I just want to go home and pop in 'It's a Wonderful Life' and sleep until noon," Rose joked.

Hermione Granger-Weasley rolled her eyes. "You know Grandma Weasley expects everyone at the Burrow by 7am to open presents. She'll be disappointed if you are late like last year."

Rose grinned, "I know. But I'm just bloody exhausted. I'll be there, I promise. Goodnight and Merry Christmas everyone." Rose gave her mom a quick hug and pecked her dad on the cheek.

"Has anyone told her yet?" Rose heard Draco ask as she walked away. She wondered what he was talking about but was just too tired to find out. She hurried to the transportation room, pictured her flat, and twisted on the spot.

With a small grunt she landing in her living room and kicked her shoes off.

"OOF!"

Rose whipped her head around with shock and met a pair of icy gray eyes.

"Scorpius?!"

* * *

AN- This is my first attempt at writing anything. I've had this story floating around in my head for about a year now and figured it was time to put it (and myself) out there. I hope you enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

Rose's body froze on the spot while her brain tried to process what she was seeing. Scorpius Malfoy, who was supposed to be in his apartment in Boston, was standing in her living room while one of her discarded heels dangling from his finger.

"What, what are you doing here?" Rose stammered.

The corner of Scorpius's mouth lifted into his trademark smirk and he shrugged, "Well I was planning on surprising you, but perhaps I should leave if you are going to assault me with your ridiculous footwear."

Rose snorted out a laugh and launched herself across the room. He caught her in a strong embrace with ease. Rose noted that Scorpius had changed in the four years since she had seen him last. Gone was the boy with gangly limbs and a baby smooth face. Now, Rose was wrapped in the arms of a man who had grown into features. Rose breathed a sigh of relief that her friend was finally here and gagged.

She pushed Scorpius away and wrinkled her nose, "You reek!"

Scorpius chuckled, "I just spent the last 6 hours on a muggle plane. Forgive me if I don't smell fresh."

Rose was puzzled. "Why didn't you take an international portkey? I know you hate having to deal with muggle methods of international travel. Security lines, customs, baggage claim, and airplane bathrooms," She shuddered.

"I requested a portkey for tonight nearly a month ago but I couldn't get a response for the Department of Magical Transportation," Scorpius sighed. Rose silently cursed Gwen for shirking her duties in favor of shagging her boss. "It doesn't matter though. I'm here and I'm staying in England."

"Really?" Rose exclaimed. "I thought you weren't returning until June. I was planning on traveling over to the states for your graduation. You are still planning on graduating aren't you? Because you've put in so much work and it would be a waste to drop out. Maybe I can help you if you…"

Scorpius cut Rose off by pressing his hand over her mouth. "Breathe love, breathe. You're rambling again." Rose's cheeks colored with the Weasley blush. "I still intend to graduate but I needed to return to England to finish out my studies. The information I need is here. I'll be completing my research at St. Mungo's and submitting my thesis to my professors at Ilvermorny. Now, why don't we celebrate my return? I brought presents back."

Rose's face light up. Scorpius was finally home and she got presents too? Rose could never have predicted this turn from her previously dull evening at the Ministry Gala. With a start, Rose remembered that she was stilled dressed in her cobalt dress robes. Her elegant attire was in stark contrast to Scorpius who looked so comfortable in his jeans and grey button down with the sleeves rolled up.

"Can we hold off on the celebrations for about ten minutes? I need to take off these robes. I'll be quick," Rose promised.

Scorpius's smirk graced his face once more. "I certainly don't mind if you strip them off."

Rose smacked him lightly on the chest. "Don't be a pervert. You're better than that," Rose laughed and hustled to her bedroom. She could hear Scorpius chuckling behind her.

Once she was safely behind her bedroom door, Rose shook her head to clear the cobwebs. She still couldn't believe he was here. Scorpius was finally home where he belonged. Rose couldn't wait to tell him about all the new things the he had missed in his absence.

Rose pulled off her beautiful robes and carefully hung the up. She rifled through her dresser and selected a pair of yoga pants and a tee shirt that made her smile. The well-worn garment was a Falmouth Falcons shirt that Rose had won off Scorpius when beat him at a game of Wizard's Chess one night in the head's common room. Rose smiled fondly at the memory; Scorpius had bragged about his skill but Rose had been trained by her father after all. She had him at checkmate in five minutes flat.

As Rose slid the shirt over her head, she pondered that the tee would no longer fit Scorpius. The hug minutes before had revealed that Scorpius's chest was considerably more broad than it had been. She had noticed that his once lanky arms had filled out and his forearms were nicely toned. The golden scruff along is angular jaw was a nice addition. Rose blinked. What the hell? Had she just been checking Scorpius out? No, Rose concluded, she was just merely observing the changes her best friend had undergone during their long separation.

Rose opened the door and gasped. There was Scorpius, facing the opposite wall and bent over his carry-on bag. Rose's Weasley blush extended down to her toes when she realized that she was in fact admiring his jeans covered ass. Rose cleared her throat.

"Took you long enough, love," Scorpius teased. "What do you say we crack into a couple bottles of this cranberry ale I told you about and catch up?"

Rose gratefully accepted one of the bottles, pointed her wand at it and performed a cooling charm. She took a long swig and grinned. "This is delicious. But explain to me again what the fascination with all this cranberry is."

"One of the Ilvermorny founders had a borderline unhealthy obsession with the fruit. They put cranberry in everything. This ale is their answer to butterbeer and I developed quite a taste for it," Scorpius replied and pulled Rose down onto the couch beside him. "By the way, here's the key to your flat back."

"What?" Rose cried. "How did you get my key? I should have wondered earlier how it was possible that you were waiting in my living room."

"Al helped me out. I told him a while back that I planned on surprising you and he filled me in on where you hide your spare key. Under the welcome mat? Really Rose? You need to improve your security measures!"

Rose was indignant, "I have wards in place that prevent anyone not on the list from entering. It came in handy a few months ago when I wanted to block an unsavory character from returning."

Scorpius scowled for a moment but then rolled his eyes. "Speaking of unsavory characters, how is old Danny Boy?"

"Daniel," Rose emphasized, "is just fine I assume. I kicked him out of my life when he wouldn't stop nagging me about the amount of time I spent on work. He accused me of cheating on him when I wouldn't tell him about what I was doing during all the extra hours I've been putting in. He knew going into it that I'm not allowed to tell anyone the details of what I do. I called it quits when he gave me an ultimatum: either come home every night by 5pm and give him my full attention or we were through. It was the easiest decision I ever made."

"That's complete bullshit Rose. Anyone who has ever met you knows that you are as loyal as a Hufflepuff. You'd never cheat. I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I'm not sorry he's gone. I never liked the sound of him from your emails. It always seemed like he was using you to get close to your mother and worm his way up the ranks of the Ministry."

"Enough about my pathetic relationship. Tell me, Scorp, any lucky ladies in your life?"

"You know I don't date," Scorpius snapped. Rose's eyes widened and he rushed "Sorry. It's just a sensitive subject."

Rose was completely aware that Scorpius had never been in a relationship. Sure, he had his fair share of witches for one night flings and casual affairs, but as far as Rose knew he was never serious about anyone. Back in seventh year, Rose has asked why he continually turned down offers from some of the prettiest witches in Hogwarts. Scorpius had told her that he just wasn't interested in any of them and Rose let the subject drop. Rose might have wondered if he were interested in wizards if he hadn't garnered a reputation for utilizing the Room of Requirement. Thankfully, he never as active as Albus, who bordered on being a man-whore for the last six years before he finally got with Alice.

"I shouldn't have even brought it up," Rose admitted. "I know you don't like talking about it." She took a long pull from her bottle. "Have you seen your father yet?"

"No. He's spending Christmas morning with my grandparents and I couldn't muster the mental fortitude to deal with them yet. I'll see him tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh, you both should come to the Burrow. I'm sure Grandma Molly would love to have you. You know she thrives when she is stuffing people full of food," Rose grinned. "Besides, with the two of you we will have enough people to field two quidditch teams."

"I should have known quidditch was your ulterior motive. I'll see what Dad had to say and if he's game we'll floo over around 2pm," Scorpius said. "It's been so long since I've flown. I didn't get much time for it over in Boston. My thesis work kept me so busy."

"How is it that you were able to return to England early? You said that the information you needed was here," Rose prompted.

Scorpius's face took on a serious appearance. "You know that I'm trying to uncover the origins of the curse that killed my mother, yeah? Well, so far I've figured out that it is blood borne and hereditary. My Aunt Daphne agreed to let me test her cells to determine where the curse is located. I'm hoping I'll find out why she wasn't affected by the curse and why my birth ultimately killed my mother."

"Oh, Scorp," Rose sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder, "you can't keep blaming yourself for that. It's not your fault."

"If it wasn't for me, my mother might still be alive. And I have to find out why it happened so that it will never happen again. I just have to!" Scorpius quieted. "I'm pretty tired, Rose. It was a long day. Do you mind if we put the rest of our conversation on hold?"

Rose knew when to let a topic drop, "Sure. Do you want to sleep on the couch? Or you can have my bed? I'm sure you need a good night's sleep."

"It's OK, Rose. I need to head home. I'll just see you tomorrow." And with that, Scorpius stood and disappeared with a pop.

Rose was left alone in her living room with two bottles of cranberry ale. She took one last sip and found that it didn't taste as delicious as before. With a sigh, she pulled the throw off the back of the couch and laid down. Her last thought before drifting off was of the despondent look on Scorpius's face when he apparated away.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Rose woke with a jolt when her floo roared to life. Grumpily, she cracked open one eye and peered into the green flames to see a disembodied ginger head smiling knowingly at her.

"Aunt Ginny? What's going on?" Rose said.

"Just reminding you that you should arrive in the burrow in twenty minutes for Christmas breakfast. Your mother will go spare if you're late again this year. I volunteered to give you a floo-call instead of your dad. We knew Scorpius was heading over your place last night and I figured it was just too early for your dad to have a heart attack if he caught the two of you together."

Rose flushed as she correctly interpreted her Aunt's insinuation. "Aunt Ginny, it's not like that at all. He's one of my best friends. Besides, he went home to the Manor last night."

Rose frowned as she recalled his rushed departure. She hoped that she would still see Scorpius that afternoon. That boy was prone to sulking and self-induced isolation when he got into a funk. Some Christmas frivolity was just what he needed to brighten his mood.

"Rose, Rose, Earth to Rose?" Rose's attention snapped back to her aunt. "Lost you for a moment there," Ginny smiled indulgently. "Well, I'll get out of your hair so you can get ready. See you in a few."

Rose watched as a fire faded from green to its usual hue. She stood up and stretched out her long limbs. She had inherited her father's tall frame and coloration, but her features were all her mother's. Rose padded over to her bathroom and scowled at her reflection in the mirror.

Her very curly, auburn hair was smooshed to one side from sleeping on the couch making it appear as if she wore a dented clown wig on her head. Thank Merlin that Uncle Harry had discovered that his grandfather had been the creator of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. She liberally applied a large dollop of the miracle elixir to her tresses and pointed her wand at her head to perform a detangling charm. Instantly, her hair transformed into smooth waves that cascaded down her back. Rose was grateful that she never had to deal with her mop of hair the muggle way. Her mother had shared horror stories of bruised scalps and broken brushes from her pre-Hogwarts days.

After brushing her teeth, Rose hurried to her closet and quickly changed into a pair of black jeans and a dark green, long-sleeve shirt. She wanted something comfortable for the quidditch match that afternoon. Weasley family matches were legendary for being a bit brutal; they were a competitive lot. Rose slipped her feet into her favorite pair of grey suede boots and zipped them up. With a quick glance in the mirror, Rose concluded that her appearance was acceptable.

She grabbed a small handful of floo powder, stepped into the fireplace and carefully enunciated "The Burrow."

A second later, Rose collided with a solid mass and tumbled out of the hearth into her grandparents' living room. She took a minute to disentangle herself from the pile of limbs on the ground. She accepted the hand that appeared in front of her face and felt herself being pulled up from the floor. Rose looked around and took inventory of the sea of red. Uncle Percy was sitting across the room and by the looks of it he was being thoroughly trounced in a game of Exploding Snap by her brother, Hugo, and cousins Fred, Louis, and Molly. Lily was chugging coffee like her life depended on it while trying to keep up with the rapid fire speech of Lucy. Beautiful, ethereal Victoire was lounging on the sofa while caressing her rounded stomach. Only a few more weeks until the Weasley family expanded once more, Rose thought fondly.

Teddy Lupin smiled down at Rose and pulled her in for a hug. "Merry Christmas, Rosie-Posie."

Rose playfully growled at the nickname, "Merry Christmas Teddy Bear." She dropped her voice to a whisper "How's Vic?"

"She's exhausted and ready for the baby to come already. We can only stay for a few hours, but she wouldn't hear of skipping the day all together," Teddy looked over at his pregnant wife with pure affection.

"Oy, what am I, chopped liver?" moaned the mass still on the ground.

"Uncle Charlie?!" cries erupted from around the room. The tall, muscular Weasley stood up and dusted himself off.

"What are you doing here? Wasn't Roxie staying with you in Romania for the holidays? Wait, is she here too?" Rose asked.

"Ha!" Charlie barked. "Yeah, she's coming. She flooed directly over to her folks' place this morning. She's got a little surprise for everyone later on."

A gasp sounded from the doorway. There stood Molly Weasley, the family matriarch. Rose noted that her grandma had tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. "Oh Charlie, you're here! I saw the clock change but I didn't believe it. You're finally home."

Charlie wrapped his arms around his trembling mother. "I'm just here for the day Mum."

"Well, we'll just have to make the most of it then," Molly said. "Now that everyone is here, lets tuck into some breakfast and we'll open presents."

At the mention of food, her family flew into motion. Like a stampede, they crushed into the magically enlarged kitchen, plunked down at the long table, and filled their plates. Molly had cooked enough food to feed a small army, which Rose supposed was an accurate description of her family. Every member of the older generations had been a soldier in the Second Great Wizarding War. Rose glanced at the chair next to her Uncle George that always remained empty in memory of her Uncle Fred who had fallen in the Battle of Hogwarts. Rose knew that his absence would always be felt, but the Weasleys chose to remember the joy that was Fred and not the pain of his loss.

Rose spied her parents down the end of the table. The Golden Trio was united as usual. Her grandfather was animatedly talking with her mother and Uncle Harry while her father stuffed his face full of fried potatoes. Despite the entire family's ability to pack away the food, no one had quite as voracious of an appetite as her father. However, with a glance down the table Rose found that she was mistaken on that front. Victoire's plate was piled even higher than Ron's. Everyone had learned months ago not to comment on the pregnant woman's eating habits after she jinxed James's mouth shut when he dared to point out that she had taken a fourth piece of cake at Hermione's birthday party.

Rose finally spotted Roxanne sitting next to her mother, Angelina. Roxanne stood up and called for attention. "You all know that I've been spending a lot of time in Romania visiting Uncle Charlie. To be honest, Charlie and the dragons weren't what was bringing me back there. Ummm," Roxanne tried to find the words. "I met someone over there. Well not over there. I did know him before, but I got to know him better and . . . and well shit, I'm getting married!" Roxanne squealed and stuck her left hand out. Upon here fourth finger sat a ring with a sparkling yellow stone.

The family erupted. "Congratulations!", "Who?!", "What the fuck?!" The last comment came from James who received a smack on the back of the head from Aunt Ginny.

"He's waiting outside," Roxanne grinned. "You can come in now, hun."

Dozens of heads whipped around to see Lysander Scamander standing in the door frame. He smiled sheepishly and walked over to Roxanne's side.

"I KNEW IT!" Rose exclaimed. "I knew you had a thing for him in Hogwarts." Rose gloated. The family laughed. Rose had a reputation for being a know-it-all like her mother and loved to point out when she figured things out before the others.

"Yeah, well it took us a little while to figure it out," Lysander admitted. He kissed Roxie's forehead. "We're getting married at the end of February."

"So soon? How can we plan a wedding that quickly?" Grandma Molly was already making mental lists of everything to do and couldn't fathom how to complete it in a mere two months.

"We don't want a big wedding; just family and a few friends. Rose and Lily will be my bridesmaids, won't you?" Roxanne asked.

"Of course we will," Lily answered for both of them.

"I've decided I'm moving to Romania permanently to work on the dragon reserve. We wanted to have the wedding before I move," Roxanne said.

"I won't lie and say I didn't see this move coming, but you better visit more often than your Uncle Charlie does," Molly said with a sad smile.

"I promise I'll visit all the time Grandma! I'd miss you all too much." Roxanne sniffled.

"Well, I propose a toast to the future bride and groom," Arthur said. "Everyone raise a glass to Roxanne and Lysander!"

A variety of mugs and glasses ascended into the air. "Roxanne and Lysander!"

* * *

Hours later, the family was spread out around the burrow. Presents had been opened and everyone was now wearing their Weasley sweaters. Rose's sweater was a deep amethyst color this year. She was sitting at the kitchen table with Roxie and Lily discussing the upcoming nuptials. Lysander had flooed to his own family's home but would be returning that evening.

"I can't believe you're getting married. And moving to Romania!" Lily said. "It's crazy."

"I know, right? It's all moving so fast but I know I'm doing the right thing. I've wanted to study dragons forever, but now with Lysander? Everything fell into place. It's like this was fated to be. He's been in Romania working researching dragons for his great grandfather. We met up at the reserve a few months ago and got to know each other again. He's so soft spoken, but he's got so much passion just bubbling under the surface. Let me tell you, sex with him is as hot as a Chinese Fireball's flame." Roxanne gloated.

Rose blushed. "I do not need to know about that!"

"Well, I do!" Lily laughed. "Not all of us are prudes like you."

"I am not a prude!" Rose was indignant. "I just don't think that sex should be something you discuss so freely."

"That's pretty much the definition of being a prude," Roxanne laughed. "It's just because the only guy you've been with was Daniel McLaggen. Why you dated him for so long is beyond me. He was way too selfish to be any good in bed. It's no wonder you shy away from the subject. I bet he was a two pump chump. Have you ever even had an orgasm?"

"Hhhmmhmm" a throat cleared from the doorway. The three girls turned to see Scorpius Malfoy. Rose blushed from the tips of her ears to her toes and prayed to a higher power that Scorpius hadn't heard Roxanne's last comment.

"I'm glad I'm not that only one who thought Rose was way too good for the likes of McLaggen," Scorpius smirked and took away what little hope Rose had that he hadn't heard their embarrassing conversation. "Dad's outside with the rest of your family who are chomping at the bit to get this quidditch match underway. What do you say we head out?"

Roxanne, Lily, and Rose stood and followed Scorpius outside. He slung his arm across Rose's shoulders. "Merry Christmas Rose."

"Merry Christmas Scorp. Are you OK? You left so quickly last night." Rose asked.

"I'm fine. I was just really jetlagged and wanted to sleep in my own bed for the first time in years. I just woke up an hour ago," Scorpius claimed. Rose recognized a partial truth in his words but noted that his eyes were hiding more. She decided not to push today.

"Took you all long enough!" her dad yelled from the family's makeshift pitch. "Since Charlie and Roxanne showed up unexpectedly, we've got too many players. Two people are going to have to sit out."

"I'll take a pass guys," Lily said. "I probably shouldn't be up on a broom right now. I only got about three hours of sleep in the on call room at St. Mungo's last night." She sat on the porch swing beside Victoire.

"I'm going to sit this one out too," Scorpius said. "It's been too many years since I've played and I know you folks are vicious in these matches. How about I ref it?"

Teams were quickly decided. Harry and Draco resurrected their school rivalry as the two seekers. Ron joined Harry as keeper with Fred and James as beaters. Rose, Teddy, and Bill rounded out the team as chasers. Draco's team consisted of Louis keeping, George and Albus as beaters, and Charlie, Ginny, and Roxanne chasing.

The players mounted their brooms and Scorpius released the snitch and bludgers. With a toss of the quaffle into the air, the match began.

Hours later, the score had crept up to 470 to 410 and the snitch had yet to make an appearance. Harry and Draco were lazily circling the pitch while searching for the elusive golden ball. When they passed within earshot of Rose, she was entertained to hear their jovial smack talk.

Rose received a pass from Bill and sped down the pitch towards the rings. She dodged around Roxanne and took aim.

"ROSE! Look out!" she heard a mere instant before she felt a blinding pain at her temple and her world went black.


	4. Chapter 4

The only things related to Harry Potter that I own are a Slytherin scarf, the Scholastic Book collection, and a jar of Sherbet Lemon Candies. Proper rights belong to JK Rowling.

* * *

This was the oddest sensation ever, Rose decided. She felt as though something had cast a Petrificus Totalus charm over her and left her to float under water. Somehow she was sinking and flying at the same time. Her body was entirely too relaxed and yet tense at the same time. Everything around her was dark but she could hear jumbled sounds piercing her ears.

"Quidditch," "Sorry, I'm so sorry," "How could you?" "Trauma," "When?" "Baby". The sounds were becoming more distinct and Rose could start to recognize voices.

"Her body needed time to heal," Lily whispered. "She should be coming round soon."

Rose felt as if the water was draining from around her and she was rushing towards the ground. With a thud she hit the surface and regained consciousness. She slowly opened her crusted eyes and look around. Rose recognized the room as a suite at St. Mungo's; she had been there enough for the years with her large, accident prone family. Dozens of vases of flowers and cards lined the table on the wall by the window. Rose continued to scan until she spotted a messy mop of black hair poking out from under a blanket on the couch. Rose tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea hit her when she did so. She felt as if someone were chiseling an ice pick into her head and moaned.

The body on the couch sprung up and Rose found herself looking into the vibrant green eyes of Albus Potter.

"ROSE!" her cried. She winced at the loud volume and he lowered his voice, "Oh Merlin, Rose I'm so sorry. Are you OK? Do you need anything? Of course you need something, you just woke up. I'm going to page Lily to have her come catch on you," he pressed a button on the bedside table.

Rose tried to clear her throat but it felt like sandpaper. "What happened?" she rasped.

"It was my fault, Rose. I was too competitive and hit the bludger too close to you. It smashed into your head and knocked you out. You fell almost 100 meters before your mum caught you with a charm. I'm so sorry," Albus guiltily finished.

"Accidents happen all the time in quidditch, Al," Rose stated as though she were reading from a textbook. "We all understand and accept the risks when we agree to play. Besides, from the look of your face, it doesn't seem like I was the only one injured during the game. What happened to you?"

"Nothing I didn't deserve," Albus mumbled earning himself a perplexed look from Rose. Albus's right eye was covered by a rather nasty looking purple bruise that was yellowing around the edges. Her next question was cut off when Lily swept in the door.

"Good you're awake," the lime green robed healer said. "I've alerted everyone but told them to pace themselves so you aren't overwhelmed. As I'm sure Al already told you, you were struck in the head by a bludger on Christmas. This caused a severe concussion. We put you in a magically induced coma so that the swelling in your brain could dissipate. Additionally, the skin around your temple ruptured and you lost a lot of blood. You've been on a blood replenishing potion. You should by OK now, but you'll have to take it very slowly for a few days." Lily offered Rose a glass of water to soothe her throat.

"I'm sure I received the best care in your hands," Rose complimented. "Who won the game?"

Lily laughed, "Of course, you'd care about that. The game ended when you were hurt. You know that you mean more than any silly game."

"Rose, you could have died!" Albus cried out. "And it would have been all my fault."

"As I said, injuries happen all the time. And I'm fine now. Now tell me, what happened to your face."

"Scorpius happened," Lily chuckled causing Albus to scowl at his sister.

"WHAT!" Rose screamed and then grabbed her head as it began to pulse.

"Yeah, a couple days ago he was here visiting you and Albus came into apologize to you again. Scorpius sort of lost it. He screamed about how Al could be so careless and decked him. Al refuses to let anyone heal him because he thinks he deserves it," Lily noted.

"I wouldn't say her deserves it but he did hurt my baby girl," Ron Weasley whispered. He and Hermione had just appeared at the door. "I'm so glad you're awake sweetheart."

Her parents entered the room and pulled Rose's torso up for an awkward three person hug. Ron and Hermione both had happy tears in their eyes and watery smiles. Ron moved away to clap Albus on the shoulder while Hermione sat on the edge of Rose's bed and clasped her hand.

"This happened a couple days ago?" Rose wondered, "How long have I been here? What day is it?"

"It's December 30, Rose. The healers kept you in your coma until the pressure in your brain decreased to a safe level. We're lucky. They said it could have been weeks before that happened," Hermione said as she brushed Rose's curls off her forehead. Rose was reminded of when she was a little girl and her mother would take care of her. She left loved.

Over the next few hours, Rose's hospital room was a revolving door of activity. Healers popped in and out to test Rose's vital signs and run diagnostics. Rose was given the all clear to leave the next morning. Her entire family took turns visiting her. Most stayed for short visits so that everyone could be accommodated. Around 6pm, Alice Longbottom popped in with some soup from the Leaky Cauldron. Rose could have kissed her for sparing Rose the misfortune of having to consume hospital food. After Alice left and dragged a reluctant Albus along with her, Rose only had one more visitor that evening.

"Teddy!" Rose exclaimed and sat up. Her strength was returning and she no longer felt as though her brain was being attacked by woodpeckers with every movement.

The metamorphagus currently sported a pale blue mohawk. His smile lit up the room. "I'm glad you awake Rose," Teddy said." Sorry it took me so long to get up here to see you but I've been with Vic. She's worn out but we're both so happy. I wanted to be the first to tell you that Philippe John Lupin has arrived."

"Oh Teddy! That's wonderful," Rose said. "But he's so early! Is he alright? If Victoire alright?"

"Everyone is fine," Teddy assured. "With all the excitement of the last few days, the little bugger decided we all needed a bit more. Victoire went into labor on Boxing Day and Philippe was born on the 27th. They wanted to keep him here for a few days because he was so early, but it all worked out. He's perfect. Ten fingers and ten toes and the brightest red hair that anyone has ever seen."

"I can't wait to meet him," Rose sighed. She yawned loudly at that moment and the proud father leaned down to give her a quick hug.

"I'll let you get some rest now. Merlin knows I need to get some sleep too since I'll be bringing home an infant tomorrow," Teddy grinned. He exited the room and Rose was left to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Hours later, Rose woke with the sensation that she was being watched. She cracked open her eyes and looked around the dark room. Magical monitors tracking her pulse and temperature provided enough of a glow for Rose to see. There, on the couch, was a tall figure with blindingly blond hair. He wore lime green healer's robes and had his head propped up by one arm. His golden stubble had grown out to form a short beard.

"Hi Rose," Scorpius whispered. He stared at her as if she might disappear at any moment. Rose noticed the larger shadows that had formed under his sunken eyes. His usually icy silver orbs were now a dull matte grey. He looked as though he had not slept in a long while. "Welcome back, love."

His presence reminded Rose of an earlier conversation and she flew into a rage and scolded him, "How dare you hit Albus? He's been your best friend since you were eleven! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that it was his fault that you were hurt," Scorpius sighed. "It's fine. I've apologized now that you've woken up. But Rose, you don't know what it was like. There was so much blood and we almost lost you at first. I can't . . . we can't lose you Rose."

"Oh Scorpius," Rose held out her hand. Scorpius quickly crossed to her bed and threaded his fingers through her own and gave her a soft squeeze. "It's going to take a lot more than a bludger to do me in," she joked. "How long have you been sitting here?"

"I've come by every night to check on you," Scorpius admitted. "I didn't want you to be alone in case you woke up unexpectedly. I've been here for a few hours. I didn't want to disturb your sleep."

"That's sweet Scorp. I'm lucky to have you," Rose said. Suddenly, Rose cheered as she remembered her last visitor. "Teddy was here last night and told me that Vic had the baby. Any chance you can sneak me down to the maternity floor so I can see Philippe?"

"The things I do for you," Scorpius chuckled. "You'll let me know if this is too much for you, yeah? I'll bring you right back to your room." He wrapped his strong arms across her back and slowly pulled her into a sitting position. Together, they swung her legs out of the bed and Rose gingerly stood. Scorpius wrapped an arm across her lower back to steady her and they walked into the hallway.

The corridors of St. Mungo's were deserted at that late hour. Visiting hours wouldn't resume again until after sunrise. The pair moved slowly to the elevator and descended to the maternity ward. Scorpius steered Rose to a viewing window with several bassinets behind it. With a quick scan, Rose found a baby sporting hair so vibrant it would put a carrot to shame. The locks fought against the pale blue cap that tried to contain them. Rose breathed, "He's adorable."

Philippe, though only a few days old, was very cute. He had rounded pink cheeks and a nose that somewhat resembled a pig. Rose realized that Philippe would be a metamorphagus just like his father. Rose searched his little face for Victoire's features. There, she decided, the baby had her cousin's beautiful, full pouty lips. Rose was enamored by the infant.

For an instant, Rose pictured another baby asleep in one of these bassinets. Her baby. A beautiful child with pale skin, freckles, and strawberry blonde hair. Rose was pulled from her daydream and remembered that she wasn't alone.

"Do you ever think about it Scorp," Rose asked "what it would be like to have your own child?"

"You have no idea," Scorpius whispered, "I think about it all of the time." He shook his head and the corners of his lips downturned. There was pain behind his eyes.

"One day, you're going to meet the right witch and it'll work out. I promise you that Scorp," Rose vowed.

Scorpius caressed his hand along her back. She shivered through the thin material of her hospital gown. "It's time to get you back to bed," he decided and began to guide her out of the hall. With a backwards glance at Philippe, Rose allowed herself to be led back to her room.

Scorpius helped Rose back into bed and lingered beside her. He had been silent since they left Philippe, seemingly lost in his thoughts. "What's the matter?" Rose asked.

Scorpius leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Rose felt her body flush with a strange, contented heat. "Nothing's the matter. Go to sleep now, Rose."

Although Rose could see the sun beginning to rise, she could not fight off her exhaustion. Her eyelids become too heavy to keep open and she fell into a dreamless slumber.


	5. Chapter 5

-AN I tried to upload chapter 4 yesterday, but it didn't go through properly. I'm still trying to navigate the mechanics of FF. If you missed the last chapter, the jump in action won't make sense. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Rose groaned and laid her head down on her crowded desk. Mountains of letters from Professor Faso had accumulated informing Rose about the Uagadou students' progress in their animagi transformations. Rose was beyond frustrated because she had yet to discern any sort of pattern of why some students successfully transformed and others were unable. One unfortunate student had become permanently disfigured when they transformed into a falcon- barracuda hybrid. Luckily, Professor Faso was able to intervene and return the student to an almost human form. The poor boy would likely live with scale-like feathers covering his limbs for the rest of his life. And Rose was no closer to solving the mystery of the animagi and preventing future catastrophes like that from occurring.

Rose couldn't help but feel a bit defeated after the last few weeks. Her work was at a virtual standstill and she had managed to alienate most of her friends.

St. Mungo's had cleared Rose for release at 11am on New Year's Eve with strict orders to ease herself back into her routine. An entourage of her friends and family had escorted her home. Scorpius and Lily had teamed up to dictate Rose's actions. She was allowed to attend the annual New Year's Eve bash at Albus's flat, but not allowed to eat, drink, or otherwise be merry. Further, they insisted that she return home at only 9pm. When Rose refused, Lily forced the issue by slipping a few drops of dreamless sleep potion into Rose's sanctioned herbal tea. She awoke at 8am the next morning ready to spit nails.

Alice arrived about an hour later. Apparently, her friends believed that Rose was least likely to maim Alice in a fit of rage. Alice escaped unscathed, but not without a warning to the others. Rose was more than capable of taking care of herself. Sure, she'd just been released from the hospital after being in a coma for five days. She thought it was perfectly reasonable to tell her friends and family to back off.

Unfortunately, her friends did not heed her warning. Rose barely had a moment of peace over the next few days as they visited non-stop. She knew that they meant well, but she felt smothered. Rose exploded on the sixth day when Hugo took a cup of caffeinated tea out of her hands and told her that Lily had ordered Rose be on decaf only for the next week.

In a feat of rather impressive wandless magic, Rose threw Hugo out of her flat. She disconnected her floo, retracted admission through her wards, and sent out an angry howler to Lily. She emphatically proclaimed that she did not need a baby sitter and that she was more than equipped to care for herself.

Rose knew that her family and friends were only trying to help because they loved her, but she needed space. A few days later, Rose had calmed down and sent her owl, Ulysses, off with letters to say that she was sorry for her reaction. She received frosty replies from almost everyone. Lily was miffed that Rose had disregarded her sound medical advice. Alice was hurt that Rose felt that she couldn't confide in her. And Hugo was downright pissed because he'd ripped his pants when Rose threw him out the door. Without his wand or access to Rose's flat, he'd had to walk through Diagon Alley to use the floo at The Leaky Cauldron with his bare arse visible for the world to see.

The only person who had seemed happy to be back in contact with Rose was Albus. Rose was thankful that he had gotten over his self-loathing and stopped groveling for forgiveness for the accident. He had agreed to have his black eye healed the day Rose was released from the hospital. He assured her that the others would come around soon.

Rose never received a response from Scorpius. She hadn't seen him since New Year's Eve.

In the present, Rose pushed back from her desk and abandoned the piles of letters, charts, and tables that seemed to lead to nothing. She had to leave to meet Lily and Roxanne to search for bridesmaid dresses. Rose hoped that she and Lily could get past their hostilities and wouldn't put poor Roxie in the middle for an afternoon of stunted conversation.

She bid ado to Unspeakable O'Brien as she walked to the floo, where she was magically transported to the Leaky Cauldron. From there it was a short walk to Madam Malkin's. It was easy to locate her cousins upon entering the shop; Lily stood out like a beacon in her flamboyant green robes and Roxie was practically glowing with happiness.

"Hi girls," Rose said gently. "Listen, Lils, I didn't mean to push you away. I know you meant well, but I never had a break! I was feeling suffocated. You know I would have followed any advice that you gave me. There was no need to give everyone orders of what I should and shouldn't do when you could have just told me yourself."

Lily had the good sense to look sheepish, "I get that now Rose. I just wanted to help. I overstepped."

Roxanne slung an arm around each of her cousins' shoulders, "Now that the awkwardness is over, let's get this show on the road!"

The shop staff had pulled what looked like hundreds of dresses for Lily and Rose to try. It was going to be a long afternoon.

Thankfully, Roxie was an incredibly decisive person. She immediately nixed more than half of the dresses. "No long sleeves," "Too much sparkle," "Have you seen the color of their hair?! No orange!" "Too whorish; I want my wedding to be classy, not look like a brothel!"

Once the pile was pared down to eight dresses, Lily and Rose were sent into the dressing room and told to strip to their knickers. Rose thanked Merlin that she had the forethought to wear a pretty, nude colored silk and lace bra and thong set that morning. It wouldn't have done to be caught in her laundry day undergarments.

The fitting witch entered with the first dress. It was a pretty mint green gown with an empire waist that fell to her knees. Rose shrugged and exited to stand in front of Roxie for judgment.

"Absolutely not!" Roxanne declared. "You're such different heights that short dresses look ridiculous." Rose glanced at Lily and noted that next to the petite witch, the hem lines looked mismatched. "Only keep the long dresses." That eliminated two more gowns.

The next three dresses were also quickly discarded. Lily lacked the chest to pull off a plunging neck, Rose couldn't wear a style that would require her to forgo wearing a bra, and neither witch could pull off a leather studded dress.

The next gown was a beautiful crimson. The strapless dress clung to Rose's torso and flared out around her hips. The fitting witch applied the finishing touch of a golden sash around her waist. Truthfully, Rose felt quite pretty in this dress and thought it might be the one.

"Hmmm, I like it," Roxie considered, "but it might be a tad bit too Gryffindor. I don't want Lysander to feel as if he's been shoved into the lions den."

Rose understood. House loyalty and pride extended long after graduation for many witches and wizards. A loyal Hufflepuff such as Lysander might feel out of place at his own wedding surrounded by so much red and gold.

"It's the top dress for now," Roxanne said. She turned to the shop assistant and asked, "If necessary, could we have these dresses charmed a different color?"

"Of course we could do that!" the sales witch guaranteed.

"OK, I'll keep that in mind, but for now there's one dress left. Off you get," Roxie shooed with a smile.

As soon as Rose caught sight of herself in the final gown, she gasped. The beautiful gown was strapless with a sweetheart neckline. The bodice what corseted and laced up the back. The satiny material clung to her bum and cascaded to the ground where it ended in a short train. The deep amethyst color, which Rose noted was a dead ringer for her Christmas sweater, made her features pop. Oh, Rose liked this dress very much.

In a rush to show Roxanne the dress, Rose flung the dressing room door open and barreled out. She collided with a tall body and felt herself falling. Her descent was halted by a pair of firm hands; one gripping her waist and the other wrapped around the back of her neck. Rose was pulled into a strong chest.

"Steady there, love."

Rose felt like her body was on fire. Heat was radiating from Scorpius's hands and penetrating Rose's blood. She shivered. "Thanks for the save, Scorp," Rose whispered.

Roxanne, who had been watching the interaction, grinned like the cat who ate the canary. "Hey Scorpius, what do you think of Rose's dress?" she prompted.

Scorpius pushed Rose away from his chest and held her at arm's length. Rose could feel the hot trail his eyes left as he scanned the gown from head to toe. "She's stunning," Scorpius confessed. Rose blushed as red as her hair. She observed Scorpius's eyes follow the downward path of the blush and saw that he lingered on the neckline of her gown where the flush surpassed the fabric.

His trance was broken when Lily exited her dressing room. Roxanne took one look at her and happily declared that these were the perfect gowns. Rose, who felt like her skin was burning from the intense looks Scorpius was giving her, fled back into the safety of the dressing room to change into her regular clothing. She called out to Scorpius and asked him to hang around for a few minutes.

She emerged wearing her jeans, black sweater, and suede boots. "What are you doing here, Scorp?"

"Oh, I told my dad that I'd pick up an order for him," Scorpius said and held up a small package that hadn't been in his hands earlier. "How have you been, Rose?" He raised a hand and grazed his fingers along her temple.

Rose flinched and took a step back. She didn't understand the heat that his touches caused and it scared her. "I've been alright. I'm all healed up now. Why didn't you owl me back? I'm sorry I overreacted."

"I just got busy with work, Rose. Nothing to be concerned about," Scorpius promised.

"So we're good?" Rose asked. Scorpius nodded. "Well, in that case, I expect to see you at my birthday this Saturday. Come by my place at 6pm. My folks are sticking around for dinner but they'll be taking off by 9. You really haven't had a chance to hang out with everyone since you've been home. It'll be a great opportunity for you to catch up with everybody.

"Six o'clock. I'll be there," Scorpius said with a wink. He gave Rose a quick hug and said goodbye to Lily and Roxanne who were off at the counter placing the order for the gowns.

An instant after Scorpius left, Lily and Roxanne sprung into a flurry of motion. "What the hell was that back there!" Roxanne demanded, "What's going on between you and Scorpius?"

"Nothing," Rose denied, "I was just inviting him to my birthday."

Lily harrumphed, "Believe what you want to Rose, but that boy was undressing you with his eyes. It was fucking hot!"

"No, it's not like that," Rose sputtered. "He was just looking over the dress. It really is a pretty dress, Roxie." Rose knew she was deflecting but she truly had no idea what had just occurred between herself and Scorpius. She could still feel the places where his hands had rested upon her skin. The warmth had dissipated, but a tingle remained.

"Whatever you say, Rose," Roxanne said. "Now, let's head over to The Leaky for some dinner and drinks."

* * *

Saturday, January 29th arrived and Rose was scurrying around her apartment prepping for her party. She had already donned her party clothes; a royal blue cocktail dress and black patent leather pumps. She kept her makeup simple with a light smoky eye and berry tinted lip. Rose liked to doll herself up for her birthday.

Nothing really needed to be done, but she couldn't stop fidgeting. She loved her birthday. Rose didn't consider herself to be an extremely self-centered person, but who wouldn't enjoy a day meant to celebrate yourself?

Rose acknowledged that they probably should be celebrating Hermione, too. It was her mother, after all, who did the hard work twenty two years before that led to today's celebration. But following that train of thought, Rose would have to acknowledge that her birth was resultant from her parents having sex in the coat room during the Ministry's annual May 2nd Remembrance Ball. And no child liked to think of their parents doing that.

Rose shuddered and diverted her attention to her fireplace which had just roared to life. One by one, her friends and family emerged. They greeted each other with hugs and laughs. Last to arrival was Scorpius who stepped out of her fireplace with a statuesque brunette who looked like she stepped out from the pages of Witch Weekly's most beautiful edition clinging to his arm. The girl wore a silver shift dress that clung to her thin frame like a second skin and sky high heels.

"Hi guys! You all remember Marguerite Shafiq, right?" Scorpius asked. The room tensed.

Oh yes, Rose remembered Marguerite Shafiq. The beautiful girl had been one of Scorpius's most frequent visitors in the Room of Requirement during seventh year. The dumb twit had been obsessed with Scorpius. Rose had tried to warn him that she was crazed but he didn't believe her until Albus caught Marguerite trying to spike Scorpius's butterbeer with amortentia. The slag had thrown an epic fit when Scorpius broke off their tryst.

Rose plastered on a fake smile, "Welcome Marguerite. I'm glad you could come." Rose wasn't about to let the witch's presence ruin her birthday. With Rose's seeming acceptance, her guests relaxed.

Hours later, after Rose had opened her presents and cut into the cake, the crowd had thinned to only friends. Roxanne and Lysander said their goodbyes and activated a portkey to return to Romania. Hugo, James and Fred were passed out in the corner after a failed attempt to drink one another under the table. Alice was happily telling Lily about her promotion to section editor at the Daily Prophet. Albus was sitting in Rose's favorite arm chair deep in conversation with Scorpius who was sitting across from him on the couch. Marguerite was leaning against him and running her hand up his thigh, Rose uncomfortably observed.

"Scorpy," Marguerite whined and batted her long eyelashes, "I'm bored. Let's get out of here and go have some fun." Rose wanted to gag as she caught the innuendo in her words.

"Uhh, sure. I'll bring you back home," Scorpius acquiesced. "You don't mind if I leave now, do you Rose?"

"Of course she doesn't mind, Scorpy baby," Marguerite answered for her.

Rose snorted, "it's fine." What had happened tonight was anything but fine but Rose was not going to say that now. "Why don't you all head out? I'm really tired and my head is starting to hurt."

Rose could barely stomach the looks of pity Albus, Alice, and Lily shot her way. Scorpius looked concerned, "You can't be pushing yourself too hard, love. Get some sleep and you'll feel better." He approached Rose and pulled her in for a hug. She had just settled into his arms when she felt him being ripped away.

Marguerite dragged Scorpius over to the fireplace. "Bye everybody!" she exclaimed and disappeared in a flash of green fire.

Scorpius stared at Rose for a moment longer and mouthed "I'm sorry," before vanishing in the flames.

The rest of her guests quickly left after that leaving Rose alone. Rose felt so confused. How could Scorpius show up at her birthday party with that slag on his arm? Didn't he despise the girl? Why did she feel so uncomfortable to see Marguerite touching Scorpius. Rose was used to seeing Scorpius with a girl hanging around. Why did she feel such despair now?

Rose walked into her bedroom and threw herself onto her bed. She was too taxed to change out of her party outfit or remove her make up. Hours earlier Rose had felt beautiful but as she recalled Marguerite's appearance, she felt entirely too plain. She felt cold and strangely empty. She pulled up her quilt and wrapped her arms around a spare pillow. Hours later, Rose finally succumbed to a fitful sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Rose threw her head back with a loud moan. Her hands desperately tried to find purchase on the sheets beneath her. Her feet were pressed firmly into the mattress and her knees were bent at a forty-five degree angle. Her thighs cradled a set of broad shoulders. The head attached to those shoulders was buried at the apex of her thighs. A very talented tongue was doing delicious things to her and Rose felt herself ascending to a peak.

She thrashed around as her body began to quake. She tried to open her eyes to glance down to see who was bringing her to the edge, but she was blind. The tongue that had been plunging into her, was replaced by two long fingers.

"Let go, love," a sultry voice commanded, "you need to let yourself lose control." Rose felt a pair of full lips wrap themselves around her clit while the tip of a tongue quickly flicked against the bud. Combined with the pistoning fingers, Rose crashed over the edge.

Rose woke with a jolt. 'What the bloody hell was that?!' Rose thought as her breathing slowed. Her body was strung as tight as a bow and tremors passed through her legs. She assessed that she was still dressed from the evening before. Her knickers were soaked through and she hoped that she hadn't ruined her dress.

Rose had never felt anything as intense as that. She enjoyed sex as much as anyone else, she reasoned, but it had never consumed her thoughts. Could sensations like that exist outside of dreams or was it only in her imagination? Maybe Roxie and Lily were on to something when they questioned Daniel. Or maybe it was just Rose who was incapable of achieving such pleasure. She rolled over and screamed into her pillow in frustration.

She peeled herself out of bed and stripped down. Fortunately, it looked as though her birthday dress had been spared. Rose walked towards her shower and caught a glance into her mirror. Dear Merlin, she looked dreadful. Her subtle smoky eye was blurred to the point that it looked like she ingested one of Uncle George's Black Eye Butterscotches. Her berry lips were smudged and faded.

Rose sighed. She knew she was a reasonably attractive woman, but right now she was a disaster. She was certain that someone like Marguerite Shafiq never looked anything less than airbrushed perfection. Rose truly loathed that striking witch. Rose chuckled darkly; Rose would have loved nothing more than to strike her last night when she ruined Rose's birthday.

Sadly, Rose could not assign all of the blame to Marguerite. It was Scorpius who brought the bitch along. What the hell had he been thinking? Rose was livid. He was supposed to come to the party and enjoy a nice evening with all of their friends. Not go home early with some modelesque bint.

Rose took an extremely fast shower and threw on the first outfit she found. With a determined shout, Rose called out Malfoy Manor and was whisked away in a puff of green flame. Upon exiting the fireplace, Rose spotted a tall man with sleek blonde hair. Unfortunately, it was not the blond that was the source of Rose's fury.

"Hello Miss Weasley," Draco said. "Come to pay Scorpius a visit? He just arrived about an hour ago."

'Hmm,' Rose thought, 'So he'd been out all night.' Rose didn't have to ponder for very long before she concluded where he must have been. Rose suppressed a growl. It was not Draco's fault that his progeny thought with his cock rather than his brain. "Yeah, we've got some things to discuss. Where is he?"

Draco looked at Rose for a moment; she looked very much like her mother in this moment and Draco knew that his son was in trouble with the fiery witch. He finally responded, "He was in a foul mood when he arrived. I expect he's out in the field flying and trying to blow off some steam."

Rose thanked Draco and traipsed outside and located the young Malfoy heir. Rose observed him flying at breakneck speed, his blond hair whipping into his eyes. She attempted to get his attention by waving her arms around, but he never glanced her way. Fed up with waiting, Rose pulled out her wand and sent a stinging jinx towards him. The beam hit him squarely on the arse and he flew towards her.

"What the fuck, Rose!?" Scorpius scowled once he landed and rubbed his backside. "What did you do that for?"

"You weren't paying any attention and I needed to talk to you," Rose said. It was difficult for the hotheaded Weasley to keep her emotions in check, but she wanted to attempt to have a civilized conversation."

"I've got a lot on my mind, Rose. I had a really rough night."

"You had a rough night?" Rose said incredulously. "YOU HAD A ROUGH NIGHT?!" Rose exploded. So much for the calm, adult conversation she had intended. "You and your little slut effectively ruined my birthday! What the hell are you doing with her? She's psychotic or did you forget what she did to you back in Hogwarts? Perhaps being a manipulative bitch isn't enough of a turn off when she looks like that, huh? Must have been fun to dip your wick in that?"

Scorpius cut Rose off by pressing his hand against her mouth, "Must you be so crude. Look I'm sorry, OK? I had to take her out on a date." Rose bit down on Scorpius's fingers drawing blood.

"You HAD to take her out on a date? You don't have to do anything Scorpius."

"You don't understand, Rose," Scorpius beseeched, "my grandfather arranged it. According to him, I need to get serious about settling down. Marguerite Shafiq has the required pure-blood pedigree. I agreed to go out with her to get him off my back for a few months."

"Bullshit, Scorpius," Rose insisted, "you don't buy into that pure-blood nonsense. Tell her grandfather to bugger off. It's your life. And why, even if you felt compelled to date her, did you bring her to my birthday? Last night was supposed to be about my friends and family having a good time together. Instead it was fucking awkward."

"I thought that it would be safe to bring her there," Scorpius admitted. "I didn't think she'd try anything in front of a crowd."

"Fat load of good that did. She was rubbing up on you like a cat in heat. And it worked. You left early to go have a tumble into bed with her. How was it? I bet she's very bendy." Rose venomously spewed.

Scorpius looked hurt. "Merlin, Rose I didn't sleep with her. You've got to believe me."

"Don't fucking lie to me, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy!" Rose seethed. "Your dad told me you just got home. Just be fucking honest with me. Did you fuck her?"

"No Rose," Scorpius looked into her eyes, "I spent the night at The Leaky Cauldron. I brought Marguerite home, dropped her at her door, and apparated to Diagon Alley. I got pissed on firewhiskey until I couldn't see straight. I did not fuck Marguerite Shafiq or any other witch." Scorpius reached out and tried to pull Rose in. She resisted.

"Whatever Scorp," Rose snorted, "I don't get a say in what or whom you do. It's none of my business. But bringing her to my party was a shitty thing to do"

"I'm sorry, Rose," Scorpius pleaded. "I fucked up, OK?"

"No, it's not OK, Scorpius," Rose sighed. "I've got to go now. Give me some space for a while, yeah? We'll talk again in a week or so."

"I'll do whatever I need to do to make it up to you, Rose," Scorpius pledged.

"I know, Scorp. I know you will." And with that, Rose turned and hurried back into the stately manor.

Once she was gone, Scorpius let out a loud, frustrated scream and earned looks of ire from the albino peacocks that his grandfather favored.

* * *

Later that week, Rose was once again at her desk feeling overwhelmed by the stacks of papers surrounding her. She had her nose buried in an archaic tome which listed the registered Animagi of the United Kingdom since the 14th century. When known, the individuals' corporeal patronus was listed in a separate column. Rose noted that the patronus almost always matched the animagus form. However, there were two instances of a wizard's patronus changing to another form while their animagus form remained constant.

Rose knew that a person's patronus could change as a result of a major life changing event. The patronus reflected the inner spirit of the caster and could thereby shift over time with a person suffered a great trauma or fell in love. Rose supposed that falling in love could also be categorized as a traumatic experience. She concluded that the animagus form was not purely a reflection of the inner spirit. But what it was, Rose still did not know.

The words on the page had blended together and Rose noticed that she had read the entry for Adrian Tutley three times. She needed a break. Coffee and a few biscuits should fit the bill, Rose decided. Maybe, Rose thought, a quick visit to Flourish and Blotts for a new novel could also be squeezed in.

Rose arrived in Diagon Alley and briskly walked to her favorite café. She nearly left when she saw Marguerite Shafiq holding court with her beautiful friends at one of the corner tables, but her need for a caffeine kick was too great. She strode up to the counter to place her order. When it was time to pay, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll get this," a smooth voice behind her said.

"Hello, Daniel," Rose said. "But I can pay for myself, thanks."

"I insist Rose," Daniel prodded, "I feel just terrible for how things ended between us and I'd like to make it up to you. Maybe we can chat and catch up."

Rose couldn't see the harm in that and she smiled. "Sure, I'm on a break from work right now so I've got a bit of time."

Rose and Daniel talked for about a half hour while she enjoyed her snacks. He apologized for accusing her of cheating and asked her for a second chance. "Why don't I pick you up on Friday night? We'll go out – someplace fun where we can dance and see where things go."

Rose, though cautious, didn't see why she shouldn't go and agreed.

* * *

Friday rolled around and it turned out Daniel's idea of "fun" was a stuffy work party. When he'd shown up at her door, he insisted Rose change out of her sensible wrap dress into something sexier. She blamed her compliance on her dream from last weekend and a need to actually feel sexy. She regretted that now.

Rose felt like she was some sort of shiny trophy the way Daniel was showing her off. She felt dirty from his coworkers' lecherous eyes on her exposed skin. What little dancing they did do was horrible; Daniel kept groping her ass and whispering repulsive, lewd comments into her ear. Rose was fed up and declared that she was going home.

Daniel excused himself from his colleagues to escort Rose out. Once they were alone, he grabbed her arm and hissed, "What the hell, Rose? You're embarrassing me."

"Let me go, Daniel," Rose warned. "You do not get to manhandle me."

"Ha," he barked, "I can do whatever I want. Do you know how many girls would kill to be in your position, Rose? I'm an important person and I'm going places. You won't find someone better than me. You're lucky I'm willing to give someone like you a chance. There are way hotter chicks that would love the chance to be seen with me."

Rose wrenched her arm away and slapped him. "You fucking bastard. Don't ever come near me again." Daniel looked murderous as Rose apparated away.

When she landed in her living room, her eyes began to well up with tears.

"Rose?" she heard a concerned voice. She looked up to find Scorpius across the room. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Rose angrily rubbed the tears away from her eyes, "I'm fine now." She hated for anyone to see her cry. "What are you doing here, Scorp?"

"I needed to see how you were doing. I hate it when we fight. Albus told me to give you more time, but I miss you," Scorpius admitted. He reached out for her and froze. "What the hell is this?" He gestured to her arm.

Rose glanced down and noticed a hand shaped bruise developing on her arm. She hadn't thought Daniel's grip had been so strong. "I went on a date with Daniel. He put his hands on me and I slapped him. I won't be making the mistake of seeing him again."

Scorpius growled, "I'm going to fucking kill him. How dare he touch you? Where is he?!"

"Calm down, Scorp. I handled it. I don't need you to fight my battles for me. It's over and done with now."

"Fine, Rose. I don't fucking like it though. No man should do that to a woman. If he tries to come near you again, I'm not holding back."

Rose nodded, "I wouldn't expect you to." The pair fell into silence. "How's Marguerite?"

"I wouldn't know," Scorpius said, "I haven't seen or heard from her since my horrible decision at your birthday party last weekend."

"Good," Rose grinned, "just don't pull something like that again. It's not my place to judge who you spend time with, but you shouldn't feel forced into dating random pure-blood witches just because your family wishes it."

"I know," Scorpius said. "Sometimes it's just easier to go along with my grandfather's wishes than to stand up to him. He's a pretty scary guy." Scorpius was quiet for a moment. "Rose, you mean everything to me. I mean, your opinion does. Oh bugger it all. I don't want to be with any of those witches."

Rose laughed as Scorpius stumbled over his words. "It's fine, Scorp. Like I've said before, you're going to find the witch of your dreams someday. And maybe I'll even like her," Rose teased with a wink.

Scorpius's face eased into a smile, "Oh, you'll like her. I promise you that!" He pulled Rose down beside him on the couch and began to tickle her mercilessly.

The pair spent the rest of the evening chatting, cuddling, and laughing. They polished off a six pack of cranberry ale and a large heap of Honeyduke's finest chocolate. Rose hadn't felt so relaxed and contented in a long time. In the wee hours of the morning, the duo drifted off to sleep.

Hours later, they were rudely woken up by a shout, "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH MY DAUGHTER?"


	7. Chapter 7

Ron and Hermione had decided to floo over that morning to surprise their daughter with a trip out for breakfast. Ron, being the impulsive man he always had been, couldn't wait for his wife to finish getting ready. He left by himself with a call to hurry up and a smile gracing his face. That smile evaporated as soon as he stepped out of the fireplace.

There on the couch was his baby girl, but she wasn't alone. She was lying on top of Scorpius ruddy Malfoy with only their heads visible from under the blankets. Fury consumed him in an instant.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH MY DAUGHTER?"

The pair sprung apart in the blink of any eye.

"DAD!" Rose was stunned. "What are you doing?"

Ron ignored his daughter and flew across the room. He grasped Scorpius by the shoulders and slammed him into a wall. Although Scorpius was a tall man, Ron's imposing form easily dwarfed him. "What the fuck do you think you are doing? You keep away from my daughter, you dirty ferret! Don't you touch her."

"Let him go, Dad!" Rose cried.

"Listen to your daughter, Ron," Hermione, the voice of reason, had arrived. She had quickly assessed the room in the moments since she arrived. Rose was staring at the two men in horror, Scorpius was even paler than usual, and Ron was practically glowing with a red flush of pure rage. "Why don't we all calm down and discuss this?"

"There's nothing to discuss, Hermione. I caught Rose and Scorpius sleeping together. He took advantage of my baby girl and he's going to pay!" Ron screamed with a feral glint in his eyes.

"Dad we were just sleeping!" Rose exclaimed. She felt humiliated. "Leave him alone. Nothing happened."

"HE WAS TOUCHING YOU!" Ron bellowed.

"Incarcerous," Hermione simply stated. Invisible ropes shot from her wand and bound her husband who fell to the ground in an unceremonious lump. Rose ran to her friend and began to flit around him to ascertain what damage her emotional father could have caused her friend. Hermione, ever the observant woman, noticed Scorpius relax and lean slightly into Rose's gentle touches. Something had happened, even if her daughter claimed otherwise.

Ron continued to curse on the floor. "Do I need to silence you or are you willing to listen, now?" Hermione addressed her husband.

With a petulant look Ron muttered, "fine."

Rose rushed to explain, "Scorp came over last night to hang out. We hadn't seen each other in a week and wanted to catch up. We just stayed up late talking and must have fallen asleep on the couch. You didn't have to hurt Scorpius, Dad! He's my best friend and you had no right to treat him that way."

Ron defended himself, "I'm your dad, Rose. It's my job to protect you from people like him."

"People like him?! Who do you think he is?" Rose was boggled.

"Boys are up to no good, Rosie!" Ron claimed. "They just want you for one thing! You're too young and innocent to understand! He tried to get you drunk," Ron gestured to the empty ale bottles on the coffee table, "to take advantage of you!" Across the room, Hermione rolled her eyes and groaned at her clueless husband.

"DAD! OH MY MERLIN! Are you talking about sex?! For crying out loud, that ship sailed a long time ago. I'm can sleep with whoever I want to and you don't get any say in it. If I want to fuck my way through half of wizarding London, that's just what I'm going to do!" Rose ranted. Ron's eyes bulged out and Hermione tried to suppress a laugh. Rose realized what she had just shouted and her face was engulfed in flames. "Get out, get out, get out!" Rose doubted it was possible to feel more mortified.

Hermione dragged her still bound husband to the fireplace and said, "I'll call you later, Rose. After," she growled, "I deal with this ignorant fool." They flooed away.

"What did I just do?" Rose whispered to herself as the color drained away from her cheeks. "FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!"

"I think you stated you case quite eloquently, love."

Rose whirled around and her blush returned. She had temporarily forgotten that Scorpius was still standing in her living room. She stomped over to the couch and buried face in her hands.

"I hope you don't fulfill your threat to your father," Scorpius snarked. "You'll leave a trail of broken hearts behind you."

"Shit, Scorp. I'm humiliated," Rose moaned. "I don't want to sleep with a million men. I just want my father to stop assuming that I'm a clueless child who needs to be coddled."

"I can't really blame him, Rose," Scorpius said. Rose glanced up at him with a look of incredulity. He slid down onto the couch beside her so that they were touching from knee to shoulder. She could feel his heat radiating into her body. "I mean, I get the desire to protect your children from anything that could harm them. And we know from last night that some men are very capable of harming you." He gently stroked his fingers across the bruise that Daniel had left on her arm. Rose felt like a series of sparks was trailing behind his fingers and igniting her skin.

"Oh Merlin, can you imagine what would have happened if my dad had noticed the bruise? He would have killed you on the spot."

"For leaving a mark on his baby girl, I would have been lucky to be killed quickly. Your dad strikes me as the sort to toy with his prey." Scorpius said.

"Yeah, you're right. He probably would have seen it fitting to castrate you first. It would have been his twisted version of an eye for an eye." Rose deadpanned. Scorpius shuddered and shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"With that delightful thought, I'll leave you be. See you later this week?" Scorpius asked.

"Sure," Rose said, "we'll meet up for drinks after work some night." Scorpius grabbed a handful of floo powder when Rose remembered, "Wait, Scorp! Want to be my date for Roxie's wedding? I need to bring someone or else I'll wind up having to spend all night with the best man. I might go crazy if I have to listen to Lorcan prattle on about imaginary creatures for hours on end."

"Anything to see you in that dress again, love," Scorpius said with a wink and flooed away.

Rose smiled and began to clean up. She only had a few hours before she'd have to face her mother.

* * *

Rose showered and dressed in a pair of comfortable, well-worn jeans and a tee shirt. She cast a concealment charm on her arm to hide the finger shaped bruises. She was putting the kettle on, when she heard a voice call from her living room. "Rose, sweetheart?"

"Hi Mum, be there in a moment," Rose said as she finished slicing a lemon loaf. She grabbed a couple slices on a plate and walked out of the kitchen. In the fireplace was the kind face of her mother.

"Can I come through, Rose?" Hermione asked. "I don't want your father eavesdropping on our conversation."

"Of course!" With that, Hermione emerged from the green flames. She walked to her daughter and hugged her. "How's dad?" Rose asked.

"The stubborn, old fool is fine. You gave him a scare this morning. He was muttering about chastity belts when we got back home. I set him straight. He should leave you alone about it for a little while at least. But please, for the sake of all of our sanity, don't start parading around with a string of men." Hermione jested. "How's Scorpius? What really happened, honey?"

"He's fine, Mum," Rose said, "he strangely understood Dad's protectiveness."

"Really?" Hermione asked. Being the clever witch she was, Hermione knew there was more to the story. "Why would that be?"

"I don't know," Rose admitted, "He just said that he could appreciate why someone would want to protect their children from harm."

Hermione frowned, "Speaking of harm, what happened to your arm? Don't think that I didn't notice this morning. Even this excellent glamour charm you've done didn't make me forget."

"It wasn't Scorpius!" Rose emphasized.

"I never said it was, Rose," Hermione quietly stated, "but what happened?"

"I went out on a date last night. He had very different ideas of what was appropriate behavior. Like I told Scorpius, I took care of it." Rose tried to dismiss her mother's concern.

Hermione frowned, "It was Daniel McLaggen, wasn't it? My undersecretary asked me the other day how I felt about having him as a son in law. Apparently, Daniel was bragging in his office about you. I told her that you two had broken up. Did you get back together now?"

"I ran into him last week and he asked me for a second chance. But after the way he acted last night, I never want to see him again. He told me I was lucky that he would be willing to be seen with me! Like it was some great honor for him to virtually molest me in front of a crowd! I slapped him and told him to stay away from me," Rose said definitively.

"Daniel's father was annoyingly persistent too and had a very hard time understanding the word 'no'. I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself," Hermione continued, "but if he approaches you again tell one of us."

"I can take care of myself, Mum," Rose defended.

"I know you can, honey. But there's no shame in asking for help. You've got so many people who love you." Hermione gently said.

"Yeah, I know," Rose softly replied. "When Scorpius saw the bruises last night he demanded to know where Daniel was. I think he might have killed him."

"That man would do anything for you, Rose," Hermione said.

"He agreed to be my date to Roxanne's wedding to spare me from dealing with Lorcan. I'm lucky to have such a good friend," Rose grinned.

"Are you sure that you're only friends, honey?" Hermione pushed.

"Don't you start on that too, Mum! Why does everyone ask that? He's my best friend. Plus, he goes for beautiful witches like Marguerite Shafiq. I'm not his type at all," Rose concluded with a frown. Why did that suddenly bother her? She had forgiven Scorpius for bringing Marguerite to her birthday.

Hermione sadly smiled, "You truly are your father's daughter."

"What do you mean, Mum?" Rose was puzzled.

"Although your emotional range exceeds that of a teaspoon, you can be so oblivious to what's in front of you," Hermione stated. She knew that her daughter needed to figure it out on her own. Telling her would only raise her defenses and send Rose into deeper denial.

Rose sighed at her mother's cryptic response. Why couldn't people just say what they mean and not talk in riddles? Rose knew her mother would not divulge her thoughts, so she let the subject drop.

The conversation shifted to Rose's work. Rose was grateful that her mother was the Minister of Magic and was therefore allowed to discuss her research freely. She filled Hermione in on the progress of the Oagadou students and the links between animagus and patronus forms she had discovered. Rose bemoaned that she was still completely stumped why some people could achieve the transformation and others could not. Hermione was horrified when Rose shared with her the details of the Oagadou student's failed transformation.

"That poor boy!" Hermione exclaimed, "Was Professor Faso able to assist?"

"She said that she found a potion that will allow the student to molt the scale-like feathers. But it's going to be an extremely painful and long process," Rose cringed.

Animagus transformations rarely went so wrong. In all her research she had only found one other instance of such a botched transformation. The wizard had attempted to modify the animagus spell so that he could change into a magical creature, specifically an Abraxan winged horse, at the International Symposium of Animagi of 1852. Upon transformation, the wizard remained in mostly human form but sprouted a pair of huge Veela-like wings. The wings crushed his rib cage and compressed his spinal column under their immense weight and the wizard died in agony. The incident was well-documented by the symposium attendees; it had been truly horrifying to behold. The Oagadou student, Rose thought, was lucky by comparison.

"Have you requested to interview the student?" Hermione asked. Ever the scholar, her inquisitive nature was piqued.

"Yes," Rose replied, "I'm heading to Uganda this week."

"I hope it provides you some insight to redirect your research," Hermione said and stood up. "I've got to get back to your father now, honey. Send me an owl when you get back to England to fill me in."

"I will, Mum," Rose promised. "Tell Dad I'm not angry with him anymore. But let him know that I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Rose, what you don't understand is that you'll always be his baby girl. But I'll work on getting him to accept that you are now a grown woman. He just wants you to be happy and safe," Hermione said.

Rose hugged her mother, "I'm happy. I've got a great life. My family and friends are simply the best. Now if I could just get my work to make sense, I'd be all set."

"I'm certain the pieces will fall into place soon enough, Rose. Don't give up on it. You might find the answer when you least expect it. Keep your eyes open." Hermione stared into Rose's eyes as if trying to convey an unspoken message. Rose squirmed under the scrutiny.

Hermione broke eye contact and walked towards the fire place, "Don't forget to contact me after you get back! Say hi to Scorpius for me when you see him and pass on my apologies for your father's behavior this morning." With a final farewell, Hermione disappeared leaving Rose alone in her flat.

Rose's brain was churning. She felt unsettled and decided to go into work to attempt to be productive. She spent the rest of the day pouring through her research and look for clues that she must have overlooked. Her mother had said that she was blind to what was in front of her, and Rose was determined to prove that she could uncover the truth. Then everything in her life would be perfect.

Rose frowned. Why did it suddenly feel like something was missing? For so long, her work was the only important thing in her life that hadn't come easily. Her friends and family were amazingly supportive in everything that she did. Granted, her dating life left something to be desired but Rose concluded that she just didn't need that to be happy. Right?


	8. Chapter 8

On Wednesday, Rose arrived early to work. She hurriedly gathered her research notes and stuffed her bag full of parchment and spare quills. She only had fifteen minutes before her reserved portkey was set to whisk her away to the gates of Oagadou.

With four minutes to spare, Rose skidded to a stop in front of Gwen Robard's desk. The petite blonde witch didn't even look up from giving herself a manicure as she prompted, "International Travel Visa?"

'Oh shit,' Rose thought. She knew that there was something that she'd forgotten to grab in her office. Damn the ministry's anti-apparation wards. She had no time to spare to run back for it. "I've travelled by international portkey before," Rose pleaded, "Can't you just check your records? My Visa number should be listed there."

"Rules are rules. No Visa, no travel." Gwen said. She blew on her nails to dry the fresh layer of bubblegum pick polish.

Rose let out a scream of frustration which carried out into the Ministry atrium. A certain shaggy haired man heard the cry and came to investigate.

"Rose, what's the matter?" Harry Potter asked.

Although Rose prided herself on being an independent woman, she wasn't above utilizing her famous family to get herself out of tight jams from time to time. "Uncle Harry, I need to get out of the country for work but I stupidly left my travel visa in my office".

Harry Potter winked at his niece and leaned forwards to address Gwen who still hadn't looked up from filing her finger nails. "Perhaps you can bend the rules, just this once?"

Gwen sighed, "Look mister, there rules are in place for a …" she looked up and halted when she recognized the savior of the wizarding world. Harry hated the fame he was granted, but sometimes it was very advantageous. "Oh, Mr. Potter. I'm so sorry. Of course, anything for you!" Gwen was now falling all over herself to apologize. Seconds later a silver tea cup that would serve as a portkey was thrust into Rose's hand. Gwen busied herself by pushing her ample chest out towards Harry and batting her clumpy, spider-like eyelashes.

Harry either didn't notice Gwen's attentions or chose to ignore them. He turned towards Rose, "Have a safe trip Rosie. Oh, and give Lily a floo call soon. She wants to discuss planning a hen's night for Roxanne." He gave her a quick hug and left the transportation office. Gwen deflated at his exit.

Rose, still peeved from her earlier treatment, leaned in and said, "You know Gwen, maybe you should spend less time chasing after married men. I've heard some salacious things about you and your boss that could be detrimental to your career if say the Minister of Magic were to find out. Maybe I should give Mum a call when I get home."

Time expired on the portkey and Rose felt a pressure tugging from behind her navel. She was magicked away to Uganda, but not before see saw a panicked look flit across Gwen's face. 'Serves the little tart right,' Rose thought with a smirk.

"Greetings Miss Weasley," said Professor Faso. "Welcome to Oagodou."

"Thank you for allowing me to come. I am very interested in meeting with your animagi students. How is Mr. Adero?" Rose asked.

Professor Faso shook her head sadly, "He's as well as can be expected. You'll understand when you see him. I've set up a spare classroom for your interviews. The students have all signed the required confidentiality agreements."

"I appreciate your help. Will you be sitting in on the conversations?" Rose questioned.

Professor Faso nodded, "Yes, if you don't object. I'm curious about your research and I might find some practical applications based on the student's responses to incorporate into future lesson plans."

Rose laughed, "You sound so much like my former Headmistress. Maybe it's a universal Transfiguration professor thing."

"Ah, Minerva. How is she? I haven't seen her since the last symposium," Professor Faso smiled.

"She's looking forward to retiring. She joked that she needed to make her escape before the next generation of Weasley- Potter children infiltrated the school," Rose informed.

The two witches arrived at the spare classroom quickly. Rose set up a work table and the interviews commenced. Rose was impressed by the students that presented themselves to her. They were capable of transforming at will into cheetahs, elephants, impalas, and water buffalo.

She asked each of the students, "What were you thinking in the moments immediately preceding your successful transformation?" Each responded that they had completely cleared their minds and allowed their magic to simply flow through them.

Rose followed up by asking, "How did you know what animal you intended to change into then?" All but one of the students had no answer to that.

The final student, a tall, painful shy girl named Nyakisi said, "I didn't intend to become a water buffalo. I believe the buffalo chose me. It is me and I am it." Nyakisi looked down.

"Very good, Nyakisi," Professor Faso complimented her student. "You may go now."

Rose sat back in a daze. She was thoroughly confused by the girl's answer. Transfiguration was a deliberate magic. The caster needed to have specific intent to ensure the outcome they wanted. How could self-transfiguration be so different?

"Miss Weasley," Professor Faso snapped Rose out of her thoughts, "if you'd follow me we can go see Mr. Adero." Rose silently walked beside the other witch still lost in her musing. "Miss Weasley, Rose, I beseech you to not react too strongly to Mr. Adero. It may be very shocking." The pair had arrived in the hospital wing and were standing just in front of a thick black curtain.

Rose agreed easily, but when Professor Faso pulled back the curtain she had to resist the urge to be sick. A scrawny looking boy was lying on the enlarged cot. He was hooked into a muggle style IV that was pumping blood replenishing potion into his small frame at an alarming rate. Rose observed that the sheets beneath him were soaked through in the thick, crimson fluid. His limbs were almost completely covered in dull gray feathers that looked like stone. Where the feathers were missing, Rose could see blood oozing out from muscle. There was no skin.

"Mr. Adero," Professor Faso calmly addressed, "I have brought Miss Weasley to talk with you. She is from the British Ministry and is studying animagi transformation. If you can please answer her questions, we'd appreciate it. Then you can go back to sleep."

Rose steeled her resolve and began to question the child. As with the other interviews, she concluded with the same questions. This time, however, she was met with very different responses.

"I was thinking about how great it would be to be a barracuda. They are ferocious and lightning fast. I thought it was the perfect form for me," the boy slurred. Luckily the conversation would conclude soon. Rose observed he was exhausted.

"So you intended to become a barracuda? But where did the feathers come from? Had you considered some sort of bird as well?" Rose asked.

"No, I didn't want to be a bird. My father is an animagus too. He transforms into an ostrich. I wanted to be my own man, so I did not want to become any sort of bird," he said with a yawn and a grimace.

Rose scribbled on her parchment 'Family link? Heredity? Genetics? Ask Scorp!' "Thank you Mr. Adero. Your responses will be very helpful. I hope you recover soon."

Rose and Professor Faso walked back towards the Oagodou gate where Rose would be able to activate the portkey to once more return her to England. "Please keep me informed about Mr. Adero's progress. I'll let you know if I uncover any information that can prevent an incident like this from occurring again."

"Thank you Rose," Professor Faso bid her goodbye and Rose was transported back to the British Ministry. She rushed to her office and spent the evening pouring all her thoughts from the day onto paper. She returned home to her flat at 3am.

* * *

A few days later, Rose was having dinner with Scorpius at a new Italian bistro in Diagon Alley. She was filling him in on her trip to Uganda.

"I told my mum about the poor student when I talked to her yesterday. Oh Scorp, it was horrifying. He has bleeding out as fast as they could replenish it. The feathers were grotesque. I need to figure out what caused it. He mentioned something to me that I need to discuss with you. Can you come back to my flat for a while after dinner? I can't ask you here."

"Of course, Rose," Scorpius said, "I'll help you in any way I can." He reached across the table and clasped her hand. Rose found that she was very distracted by the way he ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

She sighed, "Why did you insist on coming to this place? Don't get me wrong, Italian food is lovely, but we always go to The Leaky."

"It's because we _always_ go to The Leaky. I wanted to do something a little bit different with you tonight Rose. Plus, isn't Italian your favorite? Or has that changed since I've been in Boston," Scorpius inquired.

"No, you're right. I love Italian food," Rose twirled some spaghetti around her fork. "But it seems like this is the type of place you'd go on a date."

"I wanted to go with you, Rose," Scorpius emphasized. "I acquired a taste for this stuff in the North End of Boston. I thought you only liked spaghetti and meatballs because of that silly muggle movie with the dogs, but it really is delicious," he grinned wolfishly.

Rose snorted, "Lady and the Tramp is very romantic, I'll have you know! Their first kiss was accidental and completely adorable."

"Is that so?" Scorpius asked.

"Yes, it is," Rose replied indignantly. "She wasn't expecting it and was shy and embarrassed, but she enjoyed it."

"Huh," Scorpius considered, "maybe I should test that out."

Rose arched an eyebrow, "What are you talking …" she was cut off as Scorpius pressed his lips to hers.

He pulled away quickly with a satisfied smirk, "I think those dogs were onto something".

Rose felt flabbergasted and she ducked her head down as she flushed with embarrassment. She reached a finger up to touch her still tingling lips.

"Very interesting," Scorpius said with a wink. They finished their meals and he called the waiter over to pay the check. The pair stood and Scorpius wrapped a strong arm around Rose's shoulders. He escorted her back to her flat.

"What was that about back there, Scorp?" Rose asked. She was still in a daze and was trying to wrap her head around that fact the fact that she had just kissed Scorpius. Or been kissed by Scorpius, but that was just semantics.

"Just testing out a theory, love. I am a scientist after all," Scorpius said.

"Speaking of science, I need to ask you a couple questions about my work. Would you opposed to signing a non-disclosure agreement first?" Rose tried to focus.

Scorpius quickly signed the forms and Rose showed him her notes on the Oagudou interviews. "Do you think it's possible that a person's animagus form is dictated by their family history? Have you come across anything in your genetic research that would suggest that it could be coded into their DNA and passed on from father to son?"

"I'm sorry, Rose, but I haven't heard of anything like that. Besides, a person's specific magical affinities are determined by the mother," Scorpius stated.

"What do you mean?" Rose was perplexed. "How can that be? Wizards marry muggle women all the time and their children are usually magical."

"Of course magical ability can be passed on from either parent. That's coded into the sex chromosomes. But what I'm saying is that magical researchers have determined that it is the mitochondria, or the powerhouse of the cells, that generate specific magical affinities and traits. Mitochondrial DNA comes solely from the mother. If the student's mother had been an animagi, then maybe your theory would be more credible. But I just don't think that's your answer. I'm sorry, love," Scorpius said gently.

Rose deflated, "Thank anyway, Scorpius." She couldn't hide her disappointment.

"You're going to figure this out, love. I believe in you." He pulled her in for a hug and tucked her head underneath his chin. Rose melted into his embrace and breathed him in. She felt his nose nuzzling itself in her hair and sighed. This was her happy place; safe wrapped in his arms.

"It's late, Scorp. Want to crash here tonight?" she asked.

"Thanks, love," Scorpius said. "But can we disconnect your floo this time? I don't want your father to pop in again and murder me."

Rose laughed and did as he asked. She quickly changed into a vest top and cotton shorts and brushed her hair and teeth. By the time she returned to the living room, Scorpius had transfigured his trousers into a pair of loose fitting pajama bottoms and removed his shirt. Rose noticed that him chest and abdomen were well toned and he sported a trail of dark golden hair that extended from his navel and disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants. The hair looked extremely soft and Rose had a fleeting thought of running hair fingers through it. He was setting up a temporary bed of the couch. Rose shook her head, "You can sleep in my bed with me, Scorp. No sense cramming yourself on the couch when I've got a comfy bed that's plenty big enough."

"The couch is fine," Scorpius said.

"Scorp, either you sleep in my bed with me, or I take the couch," Rose insisted. "What type of host would I be if I let you twist your neck around by trying to fit there?"

"Alright, love. You win," Scorpius agreed. The duo moved into her bedroom and laid down. Scorpius insisted on sleeping on the edge of the bed so that he didn't invade her space. Rose laughed but was too tired to protest.

When Rose awoke the next morning, she felt incredibly warm. Her senses slowly returned and she registered that she was not alone. The space that Scorpius had established the night before had vanished. The front of his body was firmly pressed against the back of hers from shoulder to toe. One of his arms was draped across her torso and at some point in the night his hand had crept under the hemline of her top and was now resting on her belly.

Rose felt a hard protrusion pressing into her bum and realized with a start what part of Scorpius's anatomy that must be. Rose knew that it was a very normal reaction amongst all men when they slept, but she was nonetheless pleased. Her reaction puzzled her, but she was in too good of a mood to question it.

Rose slowly spun around so that she could see Scorpius without waking him up. Her face was now mere inches from his. She could feel his sweet smelling breath fanning out across her skin. She observed her best friend. His long golden eyelashes touched his cheeks giving him a youthful, angelic appearance. Rose longed to run her hand along the coarse looking stubble that graced his strong jaw. Her best friend was a very handsome man. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him as he had done last night.

"Are you through checking me out, love?"

Rose blinked, "How long have you been awake, Scorpius?" she whispered.

"Just a few minutes," he popped his eyes open and molten silver met sky blue. Rose felt hypnotized. The stared at each other for a few minutes before the spell was broken. The alarm on Scorpius's wand sounded and he groaned, "UHH. I've got to get to work."

"Do you need to floo home?" Rose asked and disentangled herself. She immediately missed his warmth.

"No, I'll just walk to St. Mungo's. I can shower and change in the on call room there," Scorpius said. He transfigured his bottoms back into the trousers he had worn last night and donned his shirt once more. Rose felt strangely disappointed. "I'll see you later, love."

"Bye Scorp," Rose whispered as he left. She flopped back down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. What the hell was happening? She pulled the pillow he had used into her arms; it smelled of sandalwood.

* * *

That evening Rose returned to her flat. Her work today had been completely useless because her mind was occupied elsewhere. She pulled off her work robes and put the kettle on. On her table waited the evening edition of The Daily Prophet. While she waited for the water to boil, Rose cracked open the paper and screamed. On the front page were two pictures. The first showed the kiss Scorpius had given her the night before over their Italian meal. The second was just of Scorpius as he stepped out of her flat this morning.

 **MALFOY HEIR SPOTTED WITH WEASLEY GIRL  
**

By Rita Skeeter

Very reputable sources have reported that Scorpius Malfoy is now in a relationship with none other than Rose Weasley. They've been seen all over Wizarding London since his return a few months ago. It seems, like her mother, Miss Weasley has a taste for rich, powerful wizards.

"She's so clearly in love with him," gushed a source. "She was hanging on his every word last night".

The pair was spotted having a romantic dinner in Diagon Alley. Witnesses observed the pair sharing secretive glances, flirting, and kissing throughout the evening. The duo suddenly cut their dinner short and rushed to Miss Weasley's flat. This industrious reporter captured the moment that Mr. Malfoy left the flat this morning. One need only look at the elated smile on his face to know what happened last night.

But can the plain Rose Weasley hold Scorpius Malfoy's attention for more than a short time? We have our doubts.

When approached for comment, Miss Weasley's former paramour Daniel McLaggen said, "As if Rose could catch his attention! She's nothing compared to Marguerite Shafiq. Scorpius will kick her to the curb just like I did." Mr. McLaggen was seen with Miss Shafiq at a party celebrating her new modeling contract. _See page 6 for more details._

Rose crumbled the paper into a ball and set it on fire. 'Oh shit,' she thought, 'time for some damage control'.

* * *

-AN It's been years since I've taken a genetics or human anatomy class. My memory is pretty rusty on the topic. Forgive me if I made an error in my statements about mitochondrial DNA. Thanks for reading folks!


	9. Chapter 9

The night of Roxanne's hen party arrived in a flash. The last few weeks had been packed full of endless hours pouring over her research and trips to Uganda. Rose was relieved that Mr. Adero was regrowing skin on the portions of his forearms now devoid of feathers. Professor Faso told her that they were able to cut back on the amount of blood replenishing potion being administered. Rose was thankful for the chance to leave her work behind, cut loose, and have some fun with her friends.

Of course, the planning process had demonstrated how much Rose's definition of fun differed from her co-bridesmaid. Lily Potter could be downright raunchy and if given her way would have planned a night full of debauchery and lust. Over many owls, the two cousins had reached a compromise. They would meet up in the early evening for dinner and drinks, and then would proceed to a wizarding club for dancing and yet even more drinks. The night would conclude with a visit to a muggle strip club. Rose fought against the notion of strippers, but gave in when Lily insisted that it was practically a requirement for a hen night. It was either that or a magical strip club, and Rose thought that they'd have less of a chance of being recognized and appearing in the morning edition of the Prophet at a muggle establishment.

The damn Prophet had been hounding her for weeks. Rose had worked hard to explain to her friends and family that the pictures and accompanying were being taken out of context. It had taken several hours to convince her father not to hex Scorpius's bollocks off. She wrote to the Prophet to demand a retraction, but her request was denied.

Reporters followed her around trying to get the exclusive scoop. Rose hadn't been able to set foot into the public without having a camera and a quill shoved in her face. She'd floo directly to work, take a portkey to Uganda, and return home by floo at the end of the day. Poor Alice had to deliver food to Rose's flat after she'd been bombarded by an editor of Witch Weekly when she tried to catch a quick bite at The Leaky. Rose was pretty miserable from being cooped up for so long. She had neither seen nor heard from Scorpius since the night in question. She assumed that he must be lying low to avoid the press vultures as well.

'I need this hen night', she thought as she smoothed out her dress. Rose had dressed for the occasion and wore an outfit that was a lot more revealing than she'd typically choose. Her little black dress was sleeveless and the neckline plunged in a v-shape to show off quite a bit of cleavage. The silky material clung to her frame and the hemline ended at mid-thigh. Rose hoped that she wouldn't find herself trying to pull the dress down all night. The dress was complimented by a pair of strappy sandals with a four inch spike heel that Lily insisted Rose wear. Lily's elfin sized shoes were magically enlarged to fit Rose's feet and Lily had cast a balancing charm on them so that Rose could walk without breaking her ankle. She left her hair to cascade down her back in silky waves and finished applying a thick coat of mascara. Rose looked at herself in the mirror and was stunned at the witch standing before her. 'Merlin,' she thought, 'I look sexy!'

Rose's apparated to her Uncle George's house to meet up with the rest of the hen night crew. She noticed that she was the last to arrive. Compared to the other's Rose was dressed like a school girl. No, Rose corrected herself, Lucy was dressed like a school girl; her cousin was wearing a shrunken version of her Hogwarts skirt with the pleats barely covering her arse, a tight, white button down shirt and knee socks. Rose laughed at her cousin's strange sense of humor.

The guest of honor was wearing what Rose would call a wizard's fantasy version of a muggle ballerina's tutu. Roxanne was cinched into a white corset, a gauzy white mini skirt, and wore a sash which alternatively flashed "BRIDE TO BE", "TAKEN", and "IF FOUND RETURN TO LYSANDER". Rose suspected it was a Wheezes product that Uncle George was using his daughter to advertise.

"Finally!" Lily exclaimed, "I'm glad I told you to get here 10 minutes earlier than you needed to be. You're always late, so now we are right on time to leave." Rose blushed, punctuality was not a strong point for her.

The group apparated directly to the Italian restaurant that Scorpius had taken Rose to weeks before. The maître d' escorted the group to a private room set up for them. The party placed their orders are were left to enjoy the many bottles of wine already in the room.

"To Roxanne," Rose toasted, "I hope you and Lysander are very happy together!" The group raised their glasses in cheers and conversation began to flow.

Rose was seated between Roxanne and Victoire. When Roxie was pulled into conversation with Lucy and Dominique, Rose turned to the beautiful blonde. "How are you, Victoire? I haven't seen you since Christmas! How're Phillippe and Teddy? Rose asked.

"Everyone is doing well. Phillippe is such a little joy. I'm very fortunate, he's already sleeping six hours every night. Teddy enjoys doting on us, and I'm enjoying being pampered For the first few weeks, Teddy tried to stay awake to just gaze at the baby all night long. It was very adorable. Philippe looks so much like Teddy. Of course he can change his appearance at will, but he chooses to look like his dad. He does have my pouty mouth though," Victoire gushed.

"Yeah, I had noticed that when Scorpius snuck me down to see him in the hospital," Rose admitted, "He's a beautiful child, but he's got a pair of very attractive parents."

Victoire smiled proudly, "I'll take that as a compliment! I didn't realize you'd seen him before. But speaking of Scorpius, what's going on there Rose?" Victoire dropped her voice to a whisper.

"I don't know, Vic," Rose said, "the article in The Prophet had it wrong. We aren't dating but things have changed. I don't know what's going on anymore."

Victoire suppressed a squeal, "Oh Rosie, you're going to figure it out. Just let yourself be open."

Dinner arrived soon after that and the party dug into their plates with gusto. Rose had chosen to order linguini in clam sauce instead of her favored spaghetti and meatballs. She flushed when she remembered what had happened over her last plate of spaghetti. If any of her cousins noticed her reaction, no one drew attention to it. Rose was grateful for the reprieve.

"Now that we've all gorged ourselves on heaping plates of carbs, it's time to move onto the second portion of the evening," Lily announced. The group walked as fast as their heels would allow towards the club. Flash bulbs exploded as reporters screamed at the group of witches. Thankfully the club employed excellent bouncers that prevented the press from entering after them. Security wards ensured that club goers could dance, drink, and let loose in peace.

The majority of the group headed to the reserved VIP section while Lily and Rose headed to bar to pick up the trays of shots they had preordered for the evening. Rose giggled as she recalled the names of the drinks; 'sex on the beach', 'buttery nipple', 'blow job', and 'screaming orgasm'. Rose levitated to tray behind them and the pair returned to their cousins. Each witch grabbed a random shot, cheered Roxanne once more, and downed their drinks.

"Mmmm," Rose moaned and licked her lips, "I love screaming orgasms." Her cousins all whipped their heads around to stare at her. For a moment, Rose pondered their reaction before she realized what she'd just said. She blushed bright red. "Oh fuck. I meant I love this shot." The group laughed at Rose's expense. "Screw you guys, I'm going to dance." Rose stomped off to the dance floor and began to move her hips to the rhythm.

Mere seconds later, she felt a pair of strong, masculine hands wrap around her waist and pull her backside flush to his front. She rocked against his body for the duration of the song. When the song concluded, she spun around to face the man. He was quite attractive, she noted, with sandy blond hair and chocolate brown eyes. Rose leaned in and thanked him for the dance. His skin smelled of spicy cologne that Rose thought he had applied a little too liberally. With a smile, she returned to her cousins in the VIP section.

The group stared at Rose unblinkingly before flurry of questions spilled from their lips; "Who was that?", "Holy shit, he's hot!", "Rose if you don't take him home tonight, I might!"

Victoire, the eldest and generally most mature, asked, "What's going on Rose?"

"Nothing, I just fancied a dance. It was pleasant enough. Besides he doesn't smell right," Rose concluded with a nod.

"Doesn't smell right? Did he reek of body odor or something?" Lily wrinkled her nose at the thought.

Rose laughed, "No! He just had way too much cologne on. It was the wrong smell for me. Do you guys remember potions in your sixth years? The amortentia lesson?"

"Of course, I remember. What did you smell, Rose," Victoire prompted.

"It was old books, fresh ink," her cousins laughed at Rose's bookwormish tastes, "and . . ." 'Oh shit,' Rose realized, 'sandalwood'. Rose gulped as she realized the implications of that smell.

"What was the third scent? Come on, don't hold out on us!" Lily prodded.

"It's personal, I don't want to say," Rose attempted to deflect. She had just taken another shot when she noticed Lily slipping a vial into her purse. "What was that Lils?"

"Oh just something to get you to be a little more honest with us," Lily said with a devious grin.

Rose was quick on the uptake, "YOU SPIKED MY SHOT WITH VERITASERUM?! That's illegal, Lily! How could you do that?"

"Pish posh. We're all family here. Now tell us what you smelled!" Lily said.

Rose fought to keep her mouth shut but felt compelled to blurt out, "it was sandalwood."

"And do you know what or who smells like sandalwood?" Lily pushed.

"Yes," Rose said through gritted teeth.

"And?" Roxie asked. Rose noticed all of her cousins were looking at her with wrapped attention.

"IT'S SCORPIUS, OK?!" Rose exploded. "I don't know what happened but I'm attracted to him. He's my best friend and I'm attracted to him. Oh Merlin," Rose buried her head in her arms next to the tray of shots.

"It's alright, Rose," Victoire quietly said. "You can tell us anything. Trust us."

With that Rose sat up and her inner thoughts began to spew from her lips, "Everything has been changing since he came back. He went away as just my best friend and came back as someone else. Every time he touches me, I feel like my skin is burning. He's so fucking beautiful and I can't help it. I'm lusting after my best friend. That kiss that was in the Prophet? That was just a silly little peck and it was more significant than any other kiss I've had in my life. I slept with him that night. Not sex or anything, just sleep. I loved waking up in his arms. This is all so wrong!"

"Finally," Roxanne said, "glad you figured it out. Now who owes me money?" Rose watched as Lucy, Dominique, and Molly reached into their bags and handed Roxie a galleon each.

"You bet on me developing feelings for Scorpius?" Rose asked incredulously.

Lily laughed, "It was so obvious to everyone around. We all figured it out ages ago. The only question was when you were going to realize it."

"Everyone knows? Oh Merlin, Scorpius knows too? Just avada me," Rose groaned and slumped forward once more.

"Scorpius is just as oblivious as you are. At least in regards to your feelings for him. I think he figured out that he wanted you years ago," Victoire comforted Rose.

"Scorpius is not interested in me!" Rose declared. "You saw Marguerite at my birthday party. He can date witches like that. He'd never want me."

"Oh Rose," Lily said gently, "he's wanted you since he was in Hogwarts. I read a few of the letters he sent Al after the time turner debacle."

"I knew about that. It was just a silly school boy crush," Rose dismissed, "it was a long time ago and I'm quite sure he's moved on. We're adults now."

"You are so blind, Rose," Roxanne noted, "he wants you. You didn't see the way he reacted when you were hurt at Christmas. It was like his world had come crashing down. He didn't leave your side for days. Uncle Harry had to physically restrain him after he socked Al. I think he might have killed him otherwise. Scorpius was willing to murder his first friend for you. What do you think that could possibly mean? But you can live in denial about that for a while longer."

Rose didn't believe Roxie for a moment. Scorpius cared about her well being because she was his friend. Rose knew she just wasn't enough to hold Scorpius's attention in another capacity. Why would he want to be stuck with her if he could be with someone so much more beautiful? Rose would have to settle for being his friend and hope that her additional feelings for him waned soon.

"Now that you've all gotten me to pour my heart out by less than scrupulous means," Rose sent a glare towards Lily, "can we talk about something else?"

"Who me?" Lily said slyly and pulled the vial from earlier out of her bag. Rose noticed that the stopper was still in the top and the vial was full of purple fluid.

"What's going on? Veritaserum is clear. What did you do?" Rose asked.

"I'd never actually dose you with veritaserum against your will Rose. This is hangover potion for later. I just wanted to make you think that I'd spiked your drink so that you'd spill your guts. I got the idea from my dad. He told me he pulled something similar with your dad over a quidditch game in their sixth year," Lily gloated.

The entire table laughed good-naturedly. Rose rolled her eyes, she was peeved at being tricked but admitted to herself that she did feel better now that the she admitted her changing feelings to someone. She grabbed another shot and downed it quickly. "You were sorted into the wrong house, Lils. You're devious enough to be a Slytherin."

"I know," Lily bragged, "Now bottoms up ladies!"

* * *

For hours, the alcohol flowed freely and the witches danced up a storm. Rose knew she would be in agony tomorrow due to the torture she was putting her poor feet through in those heels. Around 2am, the group stumbled outside of the club, wandered to the muggle side of the Diagon Alley boundary, and hailed a cab to take them to the strip club. Like at the previous club, Rose and Lily had reserved a private area for the group. Roxanne was three sheets to the wind and was gleefully demanding the men gyrating on the stage take it all off. The girls catcalled the strippers and howled with laughter.

"Hey Rose," Roxanne loudly exclaimed, "look over there." She pointed to a drink waiter across the room wearing nothing but a bow tie and a skimpy leopard print thong.

"Is that?" Lily sputtered, "HOLY SHIT!"

Rose squinted her eyes to try to get a better look at the man through her inebriated haze. His features looked vaguely familiar. A minute later, the man approached the group to take their drink orders.

He was looking down at his pad when you said, "Hello Ladies, welcome to the Golden Banana. May I take your ord.." he looked up and froze in terror.

Rose barked out a laugh, "Hello Daniel." Her ex-boyfriend was standing in front of all of her female cousins with his arse cheeks on display for the world to see. "Funny seeing you here."

"Yeah, I, um, got fired from the Ministry. Uhh, Marguerite dumped me too. I'm single again so maybe you and I can get back together. I get off in an hour. Maybe we can get off together if you know what I mean," he finished with a smile that Rose assumed he thought was attractive.

Rose fought off a gag, "No Daniel. I won't be doing anything with you. Why don't you go get me a screaming orgasm? The drink variety. You were always completely incapable of delivering the other kind," Rose said cheekily. The copious amounts of alcohol she had consumed this evening made her brave.

Daniel McLaggen's eyes bulged out and he turned tail and ran away from the group of witches. Rose and her cousins dissolved into a pile of giggles.

"I fucking love tonight," Roxanne managed through snorts of laughter. Rose had to concur; the hen party had been a rousing success.


	10. Chapter 10

A week later, the wedding day of Roxanne Weasley and Lysander Scamander dawned. The excited Bride-To-Be dragged Rose out of her wonderfully warm bed at an hour that Rose thought was utterly unacceptable. The preparations were planned down to the last minute; breakfast at The Burrow with Roxie, Lily, Angelina, and Grandma Molly was set to commence before the sun had peeked over the horizon.

Lily stared with bleary eyes at the cup of coffee that sat in front of her. Angelina was practically asleep in her plate of scrambled eggs. Only Roxanne and Molly seemed to be functioning at full capacity, Rose noted. Grandmother and granddaughter were excitedly chatting about the day to come.

"Dear, I wish you had let me lend you Auntie Muriel's goblin made tiara. Every Weasley bride has worn it for over one hundred years. It's a symbol of good luck for a prosperous and fertile marriage," Molly said.

Rose choked on the small piece of croissant she had just popped into her mouth at her grandmother's casual mention of fertility.

"Luna asked to make my headwear," Roxanne admitted with a note of fear, "she promised to not go overboard."

"HA," Lily snorted, "good luck with that Roxie. You're going to wind up sporting a whackspurt net or something just as ridiculous."

Roxanne shrugged, "it doesn't matter. It'll make my future mother-in-law happy. Plus, she's a lot tamer than she used to be. Lysander's seen what she made and he says I'll like it. I trust him."

Rose zoned out as Roxanne gushed about her groom. She was excited for her cousin, but very nervous about today. After her revelation at the hen night the previous weekend, Rose had been in hiding. It wasn't like before when she avoided going into public to escape the incessant reporters. She was actively avoiding seeing Scorpius.

He'd sent her an owl earlier this week asking to meet up for dinner. Rose declined with a transparent excuse about being too exhausted from work and wedding preparations to go out. When he suggested that he come over to hang out at her flat, she refused and told him that she'd just see him at the wedding.

Rose knew that she was being a coward, but she needed time to figure out how to be around him again. She wasn't willing to lose her best friend because she was lusting after him. Rose didn't trust herself enough not to strip naked and spread herself out in some sensual position to receive him if he came over to her flat. She'd be beyond humiliated when he would inevitably reject her. The wedding would be a nice safe venue to see him again. Rose knew she wouldn't be tempted to jump his bones in front of her entire family.

"Rose, are you alright dear?" Grandma Molly said snapping Rose out of her reverie. Rose blushed.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired still," Rose replied. She took her plate to the sink and quickly washed up.

"Thinking about him again?" Lily asked quietly. "You had this unsettled look on your face."

Rose sighed, "I just don't know what I'm going to do around him now. I wish things could just go back to the way they were. It was simple then."

"It's not supposed to be simple, Rose," Lily said gently. "He's still your best friend, so try to act like you normally would. He's coming by about an hour before the ceremony to help the boys set up the tent. Just pop out quickly and say 'hi'. Don't make it into an awkward situation. Today's about Roxanne."

"I know," Rose stated, "I can handle it." Rose figured if she said that out loud enough times, that it would have to be true.

Lily gave Rose's shoulder a squeeze, "Now hurry up! We've got some beautification and mimosas awaiting us upstairs." Rose laughed and followed her younger cousin.

Hours later, the three witches were groomed, plucked, waxed, and shined to perfection. Roxanne had insisted the trio get full bikini waxes. When Rose argued that no one would know the difference under their gowns, Roxanne cheekily replied that it was for Lysander later and that she needed her bridesmaids to undergo the same treatment for moral support. Rose thanked Merlin for numbing charms otherwise her skin would be on fire.

The girls were lounging in chairs, wearing matching satin robes, and waiting for their toe nail polish to dry when a knock sounded at the door.

"Oy, you three! Are you decent in there?"

"What do you want, Fred?" Roxanne replied.

"Lysander needs to see Lily and Rose real quick," Fred stated. "He's in Uncle Ron's old room.

"We'll be out in a few," Lily said. She and Rose began to fan their feet to speed the drying process.

Lysander had sent for Lily and Rose to hand off Roxanne's headpiece. With a sigh of relief, Rose noted that it was in fact quite beautiful. Luna Scamander had somehow woven occamy egg shells into an intricate headband and attached a short blusher veil. The girls hastened back to join Roxanne but Rose's path was halted by a call from down the hall.

"Rose?" Scorpius said. "Can I talk to you?"

Lily hissed, "Go. You can't avoid talking with him all day," and shoved Rose towards the tall blond man.

"Hi, Scorp," Rose said shyly. 'Oh Merlin', she thought, 'why am I so awkward.' Scorpius wore black dress robes that were trimmed with fine silver detailing. The top button of his white shirt was undone leaving a few inches of his ivory chest visible. His hair was casually tossed giving him the appearance of having just rolled out of bed. Rose felt her mouth go dry.

"Is everything OK, love? It seems like you've been avoiding me. I haven't seen you since I stayed over at your place a few weeks back. Was it that damn Prophet article? I told them that we are just friends, but you know they can be attack dogs when they catch the scent of a juicy story."

'Just friends,' Rose thought. Of course they were just friends. That would make this easier. She smiled, "I've just been really busy, Scorp. Don't worry about it. I'm glad you're here." Rose wrapped her arms around his torso and pressed her cheek to his chest. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and was met by the intoxicating scent of sandalwood. Why did he have to smell so delectable?

He held her close for a few moments before releasing her. He stared at her face for a few seconds as though considering something, but then his eyes wandered down to take in her appearance. Rose saw his Adam 's apple bob has he swallowed hard, "Uh, Rose?" he gestured to her chest.

Rose flushed when she realized that the belt of her robe had come loose and the garment was open nearly to her navel. Thankfully the material still clung to her breasts so she wasn't entirely exposed. She shrieked and yanked the fabric back together.

Scorpius reached out to retie the belt. He then pulled her hands away from the lapels of her robe and threaded their fingers together, "It's alright, love. No need to be embarrassed," he said with a wink.

Rose remained as red as a tomato. "I've got to get back to Lily and Roxanne. I'll see you after the ceremony, yeah?" She didn't wait for a response and instead fled back to the room where the other girls waited. Once safely in the room, Rose pressed herself back against the door and took a series of calming breaths.

"What happened?" Lily asked. Rose merely groaned and dropped her head back against the door.

* * *

"With these rings, I now pronounce you eternally bonded as husband and wife. Lysander, you may kiss the bride," Minister Granger- Weasley proclaimed. Lysander dipped Roxanne backwards and consumed her in a kiss. The wedding attendees laughed and wolf whistled at the spectacle.

"Oy, save it for the honeymoon!" Fred Weasley exclaimed, "I don't want to see my sister getting busy!" He and Lorcan escorted Lily and Rose back up the aisle and towards the reception tent. The wedding party posed for what seemed like thousands of pictures before they joined the rest of the guests.

Rose looked on as Lysander and Roxanne swept across the dance floor in their first dance as a married couple. Rose observed that the couple had not been able to stop smiling since their eyes met at the altar. It was like everyone and everything else had faded away and they only had eyes for one another. Love was a strange and wonderful thing.

After the first dance had concluded, the rest of the wedding party was invited onto the floor. Rose awkwardly placed her left hand on Lorcan's shoulder while he rested his right on her upper back. He raised their other hands and began to lead her in a disjointed waltz.

"You know, Rose, that this house is infested by nargles. They usually hide out in mistletoe, but …" Lysander droned before Rose tuned him out. It was astounding how different Lorcan and Lysander were for identical twins. As the great-grandsons of the most famous british magizoologist, both men loved magical creatures. However, Lysander was a realist and Lorcan was prone to flights of fancy. Rose had been told that their mother believed in the same creatures that Lorcan described. Rose supposed there wasn't any harm in their beliefs, but she just didn't find it interesting at all. She smiled and nodded along at the appropriate times as he prattled on.

"May I cut in?" Scorpius tapped Lorcan's shoulder. The twin looked relived to escape the dance floor and Rose soon found herself swept into Scorpius's arms.

Unlike with Lorcan, there was nothing awkward about the position in which Scorpius held Rose. As a pure-blood wizard, Scorpius had been given dance lessons from a young age and was adept in the ballroom. She gently laid her hand upon his shoulder while he placed a firm hand on her lower back and pulled her close. They clasp their other hands together and he began to lead her in a smooth waltz.

"Thanks for the save, Scorp," Rose said gratefully.

"Just doing my duty as your date, love," he said with a smirk. He twirled her out with an elegant flair. She giggled and rolled her eyes at him. This was the Scorpius she adored; playful and humorous.

"You look beautiful today, love," Scorpius whispered into her ear. Rose shivered at both the compliment and the way the way his breath caressed her ear when he spoke.

"This dress is something else. I'm so happy that Roxie picked it. It's a shame that today will be the only chance I get to wear it," Rose said. The corseted bodice gave Rose an hourglass figure. Her waist looked thinner and her hips looked fuller. The sweetheart neckline was classy and revealed just a hint of her cleavage.

Roxanne had chosen to have Lily and Rose forgo wearing necklaces so her creamy skin was uninterrupted from neck to bust. The only jewelry Rose wore was a pair of small diamond studs in her ears. Her hair was swept back in a chic French twist. Rose's eyes were adorned with thick black lines and her lashes were lengthened making her blue eyes pop and sparkle. Her lips were tinted with a slightly pink hue.

"It's not the dress, Rose," Scorpius stated, "It's you. You're gorgeous, you know that, right?"

Rose flushed and pressed her cheek into his chest to break their eye contact. She felt like his silver eyes were hypnotizing her so that she would blurt out something she did not wish to say. "Thanks, Scorp," she deflected.

He sighed and pressed his lips to her forehead. The song changed and he continued to lead her around the dancefloor in silence.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for cake!" Aunt Angelina announced. 'Wait,' Rose thought, 'they weren't supposed to do that for another hour'. Rose glanced at the watch on Scorpius's wrist and realized that an hour had passed by. She had completely lost track of time in his arms.

Rose and Scorpius walked towards their assigned table but spotted Victoire and Teddy on the way. They were cooing over Phillippe who was babbling happily while waving his arms about.

"He's getting so big," Rose said. "Here, Scorpius look!" She yanked his head down to stare at the infant. Phillippe focused on the strange man and screwed up his eyes. Suddenly, the baby was sporting light blonde hair and a icy eyes.

"Would you look at that!" Teddy exclaimed, "Guess we know what a mini-Scorpius will look like now!"

"Yeah," Scorpius said sadly as he reached down to trace a finger along the baby's cheek. He turned walked away from the group. Rose met Victoire and Teddy's strange looks and shrugged. She hurried to catch up with Scorpius. She nudged him with her shoulder and looped her arm through his.

When the pair arrived at their table they greeted the other occupants. Ron Weasley was digging into a piece of cake with exuberance. Hermione caught her daughter's eyes and made a small gesture towards Scorpius. Rose shook her head slightly and mouthed 'later' at her mother.

"Hello Scorpius, it's been a while since we've seen you," Hermione stated.

"Yeah, Rose and I have both been really busy so we haven't had much a chance to meet up recently. I hope you're well?" Scorpius politely asked.

"Ron and I are great. I hope Rose passed on our apologies for the incident a few weeks ago," she sent a glare towards her husband who grunted into a second piece of cake.

Scorpius laughed, "she did. I understand what it looked like to find your daughter with a Malfoy".

"Malfoy?" the old wizard across the table asked.

"Yes, sir. I'm Scorpius Malfoy," he extended his hand towards the man.

"I wondered if I'd ever meet you, young Scorpius. I knew your great-grandmother. We were friends at Hogwarts," the man stated.

"Really? I'm sorry but I don't know who you are. I assume you are a guest of Lysander's?" Scorpius asked.

"I couldn't very well miss the wedding of my great-grandson. Newt Scamander at your service!" he said with a smile.

"Oh Mr. Scamander! I'm a big fan," Scorpius gushed, "I read your book when I was a young child. Your work was groundbreaking".

"You flatter an old man. So much like Leta," Newt said with a wistful look.

"I don't know all that much about my great-grandmother. She was gone before my father was born. And I never asked my grandfather about her," Scorpius said. "What was she like?"

"She was my only friend at Hogwarts. You wouldn't think a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin would be so close, but we were both odd balls in our own way. We were both interested in magizoology and bonded over that. She was only main confidant until I had to leave Hogwarts," Newt said.

"I remember reading something about that. Weren't you expelled because of her? Something about her experimenting with a jarvey?" Hermione asked.  
Newt laughed, "That was a clever ruse that Albus Dumbledore helped create to protect us. There was no jarvey".

"How can that be?" Hermione asked, "It's well documented that she was she was experimenting with a jarvey and that it attacked another student".

"It was Leta that attacked that student. She got caught mid transformation and reacted poorly."

"Mid transformation?" Rose leaned forward with her attention peaked.

"Yes, Leta Lestrange was an animagus. She had been working with Dumbledore for years and was planning on registering with the ministry after graduation. She could transform into a ferret."

Ron Weasley sprayed a mouthful of cake across the table, "You're telling me that Draco Malfoy, the amazing, bouncing ferret, is descended from an actual ferret?!" he guffawed. Hermione smacked him across the back of the head. "Ouch Hermione, what did you do that for?"

"Forgive him," Hermione growled and dragged Ron away from the table, "he's an idiot".

"Please continue Mr. Scamander," Rose pleaded. This could be the clue so she had been searching for.

"It was your great-grandfather that she attacked. Abraxas and Leta were forced into an arranged marriage by their families. Arrangements like that are such nonsense and almost always led to unhappy marriages. He demanded that she give up her own ambitions to become the perfect, little wife. She lost control and transformed in front of him; gave him a big old bite on the ear and clawed at his face. He threatened to turn her into the authorities unless she agreed to go through with the marriage. Abraxas was a nasty piece of work, no offense to you, Scorpius. Leta complied with his demands and I took the fall for her," Newt stated.

"From the stories my father has shared, I agree that my great-grandfather was a right bastard. He ruled the family with an iron fist and made my grandfather look like a push over if you can believe it. They both favored arranged marriages for their heirs. Luckily my own father is allowing me the chance to make my own choice," Scorpius admitted. "Why did you agree to take the blame for her?"

"At the time I fancied myself in love with her. She was my only friend and I would have done anything for her. You know, for years my patronus was a ferret too? It only changed after I met my late wife Tina," Newt fell quiet with the memory.

"Scorpius, do you think that maybe Leta wrote about her animagus abilities? This could be the key I need to solve everything!" Rose was getting excited.

"I'll floo call Dad and ask him to search through the library. I'm pretty sure we've got some of her journals on the shelves. If you'd excuse me?" Scorpius left Newt and Rose alone at the table.

"I recognize the way you look at him, Miss Weasley," Newt said.

"Rose, please," she insisted, "I suspect it's much the same as with you and Leta. He's my best friend and I have feelings for him".

"The difference is, Rose," Newt said, "He can choose what he wants for himself. It's obvious, even to this old fool, that you are want he wants. I spend a lot of time observing people now and I would recognize the look in his eyes anywhere. Don't waste a single day not going after what you both want. I took me years to finally accept what I had with Tina. We spent all that time dancing around each other and denying our own feelings. Don't make the same mistake that I did. Tell him that you love him".

Rose thought back to the looks that she had seen pass between Roxie and Lysander today. They were lost in one another and the rest of the world had faded away. Rose realized with a start that she had experienced the same thing when Scorpius had her in his arms on the dance floor. The concept of time had disappeared and the moment had extended on infinitely.

'Oh My Merlin,' Rose thought, 'I'm in love with Scorpius'. It was more than just lust. She could have handled lust. It would have dissipated over time. Love was so much more complicated. She felt her heartrate and breath accelerate. Yes, falling in love was certainly a traumatic experience.

"Is this the first time you've realized it?" Newt pulled her from her musings.

"Yes," Rose whisper was barely audible.

"Don't be afraid, my dear. It happens to the best of us," Newt comforted. "But you might want to pull yourself together. Scorpius is returning."

Rose whipped her head around in panic. Thankfully Scorpius was too far away to have heard the conversation. She noticed a happy smile gracing his face and her heart skipped a beat. 'Don't you start now!' Rose internally scolded her organ.

"I just spoke to dad. He pulled Leta's journals and they'll be waiting for you in the library tomorrow morning. He's expecting you around 9am." Scorpius informed her.

"I'll leave you two," Newt said, "I'm an old man now and I'm worn out". He bid them ado stood and walked slowly to say goodbye to the bride and groom.

Scorpius and Rose were left alone. "Would you care to dance again, love?" Scorpius asked.

"I'm actually ready to leave, Scorp," Rose said. Her mind was swirling with the conversation she'd just had with Newt. "Mind if we say some quick goodbyes and floo over to my flat? I've got something I need to tell you".

Scorpius looked at Rose strangely for a moment. She blushed under his scrutiny. "Alright," he said as he pulled her from her chair. He placed his hand on her lower back and guided her across the room. For the first time, Rose allowed herself to enjoy the heat that radiated from his contact.

* * *

Minutes later, Scorpius and Rose emerged from the fireplace into her flat.

"So what's up, Rose?" Scorpius asked. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Scorp. Great actually. Really great. It's just that… Umm, well you see the thing is… Recently I… Scorpius, I.." Rose tried to form her jumbled into coherent words.

"Slow down, love," Scorpius said. "What are you trying to say?"

Rose stared at him for a moment. His head was slightly cocked to one side in observation. His silver orbs pierced into her eyes. She felt as though he could see all the way into her soul. She searched his eyes for what Newt had insisted would be there.

"Oh bugger it all," Rose declared and summoned every ounce of her Gryffindor courage. She reached up, grabbed the lapels of his dress robes, and brought his lips down to meet hers.


	11. Chapter 11

-AN This is my first attempt at writing a lemon. If it bothers you, skip down to the line break. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Scorpius was completely frozen. Rose saw his eyes were widened in shock.

'Oh shit,' thought Rose. 'I made a mistake'. She began to pull away from him so that she could apologize for her advances but her retreat was halted when Scorpius wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and held her in place.

His lips began to devour hers. Rose's eyes slid shut and she fought for dominance in the kiss. Their lips moved against one another's with enough force to bruise. Their teeth smashed together in a frenzy of unbridled passion. His hand weaved into Rose's carefully crafted coif and ripped her wild curls loose. Her nails scraped at his scalp in an attempt to bring him in closer.

Scorpius pulled away from her lips and Rose began to protest. Her cry was caught on her tongue when his mouth latched itself onto the crook of her neck. His teeth nipped at the sensitive skin and his tongue lathed the surface to sooth her. The conflicting sensations were driving Rose out of her mind. She was panting like an animal in heat.

Rose drove her hands underneath his dress robes and removed the offending article of clothing. She was startled when she felt her back being pressed up against a solid surface; he had walked her backwards so that she was now trapped between the wall and his hard body. Rose moaned wantonly and threw her head further back to give him more access to continue is work. She wondered why she had wasted years not going after this gorgeous man. He was playing her body like a fiddle and they had barely gotten started.

She involuntarily shuddered at the wonderful sensations passing through her body. He grasped at her hip and she lifted her leg up to wrap around his strong thigh. She could feel his arousal pressing into her through many layers of clothing. Wetness was beginning to pool between her thighs. Rose ground down onto him to relieve some of the pressure that was starting to overwhelm her. Scorpius growled and bit down hard on the place where he had been suckling.

"Fuck," Rose screamed out as her marked her. "More, I need more".

Scorpius placed both his hands under her arse and lifted her off the ground. She assisted by wrapping both of her long legs around his waist, her beautiful dress now bunch up around her thighs. Rose thought that he would be able to feel her arousal soaking into his dress shirt from this position. He carried her to the couch and laid her down beneath him. Her thighs cradled his narrow hips as their most intimate parts aligned. His mouth returned to her lips with blistering urgency. One of his hands moved to cup and knead her breast through the fabric of her gown. She arched her back as her nipple pebbled to a razor sharp point under his ministrations. Rose felt like she was burning up and rolled her hips up to meet his hardness.

"Scorp, please," she begged. She wasn't aware of exactly what she was begging for but she needed more before the flames consumed her. "Unnnh, Scorpius!"

* * *

At the sound of his name, it was a like a spell over Scorpius had been broken. He flew off Rose in a flash. "Oh, Rose!," he cried, "I never should have done that. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you."

"What?! Scorpius I want this! I want you. I was trying to tell you earlier but I couldn't find the words," Rose rushed. "Please Scorp!" She stood from the couch and placed her hand on his chest.

"No," he muttered, shook his head and took a step away from her, "You can't want this with me. You're Rose."

Rose was beginning to come back to her senses from the lust induced fog. She felt her anger bubbling beneath the surface. "Don't presume to tell me what I want," she gritted out. "Please, Scorp. I'm telling you that I want you. And from what was happening earlier, I can tell you want me too. So just give in to what we both want and fuck me."

"NO!" Scorpius roared, "I can't do that. Not with you!"

"Not with me?" Rose asked, "What the hell is the matter with me? You screwed your way through half of our year at Hogwarts and plenty of witches at Ilvermorny. Why not me? Am I not pretty enough for you?"

"Don't start with that self-conscious shit, Rose. That's not what I meant," Scorpius demanded. "You're doing this because the wedding. You don't actually want to. It's just because of the romance of the evening. You're a relationship type of girl. You don't just have one night flings."

"You arrogant arse-hole!" Rose screamed. "You don't know anything about what is going on. I don't want only one night with you. I wanted you before tonight and I'm going to want you after tonight!"

"You don't know that, love," Scorpius said gently. "Please let me do the gentlemanly thing and stop this before you regret it later on."

"I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU BLOODY IMBECILE!" Rose raged. "I won't regret a thing."

Scorpius looked at the ground and mumbled something under his breath. "What did you just say?!" Rose demanded.

"It's nothing, love," Scorpius tried to deflect.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT! TELL ME WHAT YOU SAID!" Rose was losing her tentative hold on control. She shook with barely restrained fury.

"I said," Scorpius ground out, "that I would regret it. I can't just fuck you, Rose".

Rose felt her heart stop for a moment as she processed his words. He'd regret being with her. Her anger left in an instant and was instead replaced with despair. "So I'm good enough to be your friend, but not anything more. You're a fucking bastard".

"You're more than enough, Rose. It's not you, it's me, love," Scorpius pleaded with her to understand.

"Are you really going to use that line on me now, Scorpius?! It's not you, it's me?" Rose was fighting back tears. "You can't even be honest with me?"

"Please, Rose," Scorpius tried to look into her eyes but she adamantly refused to meet his gaze. "I can't do this with you. You can't love me. You need more than what I can give you now".

A sob ripped itself from Rose's throat. She hated for anyone to see her cry, "Just go Scorpius. I thought I knew you, but I was wrong. I don't want to see you anymore." Rose had never felt more defeated in her life. Scorpius reached out to try to grasp her hand and she recoiled at the touch. The fiery trail that his fingers had caused just an hour early was now ice cold. "GO!" Rose bellowed.

Scorpius backed away from Rose. "I'm so sorry, love. Someday you'll understand why. I'm going back to Boston. You won't have to see me again". With that, Scorpius stepped into the fireplace and flooed away.

Rose was left all alone. She collapsed to the floor and let her tears fall. She screamed out in agony as she felt her heart being ripped in two. How could she have been so stupid to fall in love? How could she have listened to her family? They had been so sure that Scorpius had returned Rose's feelings. But they were wrong and now everything was ruined.

She had lost her best friend. Things could never return to how they had been before this evening. She would never be able to think of him again without recalling the sting of rejection and the look of pity he gave her. 'You stupid girl', she thought, 'how could you get so carried away?'

He had been right about one thing. It was possible to get caught up in the romance of a wedding. What else could explain the way he kissed her? He only turned her away when he realized who she was. He forgot for a moment that she wasn't one of his slags and was going to give in to passion. It was bullshit that he claimed that he was the problem. He clearly had an issue with being with Rose.

Rose cursed Lily for playing the trick at the hen night. Rose was convinced that she wouldn't have realized her attraction for Scorpius had it not been for her cousin's interference. She could have lived on in blissful ignorance and then none of this would have happened. She'd be joking around with her best friend right now and not weeping on the floor.

She was angry with herself for listening to Newt Scamander tonight. The old man had claimed to see something in Scorpius's eyes that could not have been there. Maybe it was true that Scorpius did love her, but it was only as a friend. What did Newt know anyway? He had just met them. Sure he had guessed at Rose's feelings correctly, but he was very wrong about Scorpius. Rose would never have kissed him tonight if the idea wasn't put in her head by the crazy old man.

Lastly, Rose cursed Scorpius. How dare he lie to her? Even though it killed her, Rose would have to accept that she just wasn't enough for him. She was just plain Rose Weasley. She was meant to be with someone equally plain. But why did Scorpius have to lie to her? He physically had wanted to fuck her; there could be no doubt about his bodily reactions early. But he turned her away when she called out to him. She had to be the problem. And then he had the audacity to claim that she would understand someday. She didn't think she'd ever be able to forgive him for being so callous.

After what seemed like eons, Rose's eyes began to dry. She doubted that she had more tears to cry. Rose knew that she shouldn't be alone tonight. She dragged herself over to her fireplace to make a call. Moments later, Hermione Granger-Weasley stepped into her living room.

With one glance at her daughter, Hermione knew that something terrible had happened. "Oh, Rose," she whispered and pulled her daughter close. Rose dissolved in another round of tears and sobbed into her mother's shoulder. Her whole body shook with spasms of misery.

Hermione held her tight and muttered reassuring words that everything was going to be alright. Rose knew that her brilliant mother was wrong this time. Nothing would be alright.

* * *

-AN2 Lots of angst this chapter. Who else wants to slap Scorpius silly?


	12. Chapter 12

At some point in the night, Hermione succeeded in calming Rose down enough so that she could explain what had happened. Rose told her all about her conversation with Newt Scamander and the revelation about Leta Lestrange's journals at Malfoy Manor. The younger witch confessed her feelings towards the blond man and her actions earlier in the evening. It was humiliating to tell her mother about the way she pounced on her best friend. She miserably recalled the way he had rejected her advances and claimed that he was the one with the issue.

"Are you sure that's what he said, sweetie?" Hermione asked.

"I'm positive, Mum. It'll be burned into my memory forever. He said that he would regret being with me," Rose hiccoughed and ate a small piece of chocolate that her mother had brought out.

"I just don't understand it, Rose," Hermione said, "It was obvious that what he feels for you is beyond friendship. Even your father has noticed it as much as he'd like to deny that fact. There must be something holding Scorpius back".

"You're wrong," Rose sighed in defeat. "He doesn't see me that way. I can't force him to want me, that's clear. I have a choice now; either I forgive him for lying to me and return to being friends or I can cast him out of my life entirely. Part of me knows that he was lying to preserve my feelings, but it hurts." Rose wiped at her raw eyes and snuffled.

"It's your decision," Hermione noted, "But Rose I think you should talk to him. Perhaps you should have told him how you felt before you raised the physical stakes. You're both rational people without hormones and lust clouding your judgment. I think you owe it to yourselves to talk it over."

"He went back to Boston, Mum," Rose admitted. "This isn't the type of conversation we can have long distance." She knew it was merely a convenient excuse. She couldn't bear to have him turn her down again.

Hermione smiled, "Well isn't it lucky you know someone who can get you a portkey across the pond in an instant?"

"If decide to talk to him, and that's a big if, I'll come to you," Rose promised.

"Are you still planning on going to Malfoy Manor today? I can come with you if you want," Hermione assured.

Even though years had passed, Rose knew that Hermione Granger-Weasley never wanted to set foot on the grounds of Malfoy Manor again. It was rare, but she still had nightmares about the torture that she was subjected to in the drawing room of the stately manor during the war. "It's fine, Mum. I can go by myself. Scorpius won't be there. I can get in, look at the journals, and leave. Focusing on my work is just what I need to do now. That's what is important in life."

Hermione sighed. Her daughter could be obsessive when she was trying to avoid something unpleasant, but there was no sense arguing with her. "Just take it easy, Rose. Don't shut yourself away".

Rose promised to contact her parents after she returned from Malfoy Manor that afternoon. Hermione left Rose to catch a few hours of sleep before meeting with Draco.

* * *

Hours later, Rose was dressed and had done a passing job of covering the red circles that formed under her eyes from sobbing. She wanted to blast the love bite Scorpius had left on her neck from her skin, but had to settle for a strong concealment charm. Just looking at the mark sent Rose into a maelstrom of memory and made her heart ache.

Draco greeted the young red head when she stepped from the hearth. "Miss Weasley, I have the journals set up in the library for you. I've asked Ritzy the pop in with some tea. If you need anything, just call out to her and she'll be happy to assist".

As they walked silently towards the library, Draco observed Rose. Scorpius had torn into the Manor at close to midnight in a frenzy. He summoned his belongings and stuffed them haphazardly into a trunk. When Draco confronted him, Scorpius had broken down in tears. Draco hadn't seen his son cry since he was 13 and they had buried Astoria. Draco had stolen one of the illegal international portkeys his mother kept on hand for shopping trips abroad and allowed his son to flee the country.

The young lady beside him looked like she had been in a similar distressed state. Although she had tried to cover it up, Draco recognized the tell-tale signs of misery. She tried to hold herself up high, but Draco could see the way her shoulders slumped forward. Her blood shot eyes were dull and lifeless.

"Rose," Draco said gently, "I don't wish to pry, but I know something occurred between you and my son last night".

'Oh wonderful, another person is privy to my humiliation,' Rose thought sardonically as her cheeks colored.

"Scorpius is like me in a lot of ways," Draco continued, "He has a very black and white sense of what is right and what is wrong. He tends to shut people out and bare difficult burdens on his own rather than asking for help."

Rose was well aware of his stubborn tendencies. If Scorpius did not wish to tell you something, he'd clam up and isolate himself. "Mr. Malfoy," Rose began, "Scorpius has made it very clear what he thinks is right and I don't want to dwell on it right now. It hurts too much. I'd rather just look at the journals and leave if it's alright with you."

Draco sighed and thought of what a mess this whole situation had turned into. He knew exactly who was to blame for this nonsense and crafted a cunning plan in his head. He left Rose in the library and briskly walked across the manor to set his scheme in motion.

Rose settled into an oversized armchair and reached for a journal on the low coffee table in front of her. She opened the book and inhaled the wonderful scent of old parchment and frowned. Mingling with the scent of the book was another, more intoxicating scent; Rose sighed and vacated her current seat when she realized this must be _his_ chair. It wouldn't do to be distracted by thoughts of him when she needed to concentrate.

She sat on a chaise lounge across the room that was nowhere near as comfortable, but at least it did not smell of sandalwood. Opening the journal once more, she began to read.

Sometime later, Ritzy popped in with a tray of tea and small pastries. Rose had been too engrossed in the journals to notice her hunger building. Leta Lestrange had been a fascinating girl. She began these journals when she was 11 years old and first entering Hogwarts. For the most part, Leta was an average child, with similar hopes, dreams, and aspirations as her peers. However, Leta was born into pure-bred society where she had expectations thrust upon her at every turn. As the years progressed, Leta began to rebel.

She opted to take Care of Magical Creatures as a third year where she met Newt Scamander. The pair bonded over their mutual interests. That Christmas, Leta's parents informed her that she was betrothed to Abraxas Malfoy. The Malfoys were not pleased about their future daughter-in-law's association with a half-blood Hufflepuff. They demanded that Leta terminate the friendship, enroll in more appropriate classes, and begin courting Abraxas.

Leta tried to refuse the betrothal, but did not have the resources to stand against her family's wishes. However, Leta and Newt continued their friendship in secret for years. Albus Dumbledore assisted them as much as he could. During their seventh year, Leta concocted a plan that she would become an animagus and Newt could smuggle her out of the country when he began his travels after graduation. She'd be free of her family's expectations. She wouldn't have to marry a domineering, pure-blood supremacist as a pawn in a business arrangement. She could live her life the way she chose.

Rose finally arrived at the section of the journals about Leta's transformation when she was interrupted by voices in the hall. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"You shouldn't have let him run off like that," a voice sneered.

"He is my son, father," responded a voice that Rose recognized as Draco. "He asked to go, and I refuse to force him to stay".

"You've raised him to be weak," Lucius scolded. "He has responsibilities as the future head of the Malfoy family. He should be married by now and producing an heir. I've selected Ms. Shafiq as his bride. Her father has agreed to draw up a betrothal contract". Rose suppressed a gasp. 'Of course perfect Marguerite would marry Scorpius,' Rose thought miserably.

"You do not get to choose for him, father," Draco hissed. "You tried and failed to match me with Pansy and now you're attempting to mate my son with her vapid offspring? It's not going to happen. You have no authority to draft magical contracts, or have you forgotten the terms of your plea deal at the end of the war? I will not agree to sell my son. He can marry whomever he chooses and have children if he desires. I won't have him coerced into continuing on the Malfoy line if he doesn't want to. He's so bloody terrified of the idea since you told him the truth about his mother's curse on his 17th birthday".

"If he is allowed to choose for himself, he's going to wind up sullying the Malfoy name. Have you no pride? Don't think I haven't seen the way he moons after that little mudblood Weasley chit." Lucius venomously ranted.

"DON'T USE THAT WORD!" Draco screamed. "You seem completely incapable of understanding that blood status means nothing anymore. Rose Weasley is a lovely girl and Scorpius could only be so lucky if he were able to capture her attentions".

"She is not worthy to carry on the line," Lucius would not let it go.

"That's not up to you to decide, father," Draco said knowing that he would never change his mind. "His happiness is all that matters to me".

Rose heard two pairs of feet stomp off in opposite directions and was left in silence with only her thoughts. 'Scorpius would be lucky if Rose wanted him?' That didn't make any sense. She had shown him how much she wanted him last night and he pushed her away. 'He's terrified of continuing the Malfoy line?' Draco had said. 'What does that mean?' Rose needed answers.

Rose looked at the stack of journals in front of her. The answer to years' worth of work may have been hiding in those pages. Her brain told her to stay and continue her research, but her heart had other plans. For once in her life, Rose chose to do the illogical, unreasonable thing.

"Ritzy?" she called. The house-elf popped into the library in an instant. "I need to leave now. Please tell Mr. Malfoy that I said thank you for allowing me to read these journals".

"Missy? Master Draco told me that you could borrow the journals for as long as you wish. He says that he hopes he's helped." Ritzy bobbed her head along as she said that as though parroting a speech word for word.

"Oh thank you, that's wonderful," Rose smiled broadly, "Please thank him. I'll return them as soon as I can." Rose flew out of the library and ran to the fireplace. With a shout of her parent's address, she was gone in a blaze of green fire.

* * *

Elsewhere in the manor, Ritzy popped into another room. "I's done as you asked Master Draco. Missy Rose is gone and she took the books with her."

Draco tented his arms of his desk and leaned forward to rest his chin upon his long fingers. "Where has she gone?" he asked already confident that he knew the answer.

"She flooed to Missy Minister Granger's house," Ritzy happily reported.

"Excellent," Draco smirked, "now we just have to hope those kids can finally figure it out."

At the same moment, Rose Weasley tumbled out of the fireplace into her parent's kitchen.

"I've been expecting you, Rose," her mother said as she reached down to help Rose up.

"Mum, I've got to get to Boston. As quickly as possible. There's no time to explain but I need to see Scorp now." Rose rushed.

"Yes, Draco told me hours ago to expect you". Rose cocked her head at her mother and gave her an incredulous look. Hermione laughed, "You didn't think it was coincidence that Draco picked a fight with his father in front of the library where you were sequestered, did you?"

Rose swore at the crafty, underhanded, sneaky, wonderfully meddling Slytherin. "Then you know why I have to get to him. I need answers!" Rose pleaded.

Hermione smiled at her daughter, "I've set up a portkey for you and packed a bag with some essentials. Please send me a message or two while you're there. And Rose," Hermione turned serious, "listen to what he has to say. Don't just jump to your own conclusions midway through. Be open with him. You need to trust him".

Rose sighed as the portkey in her hand lit up indicating she'd be whisked away in 10 seconds. "I will, Mum. I need to know. I just hope that he can trust me too."

Hermione laughed, "Draco thought that Scorpius might be reluctant to share. So he persuaded me to give you a little assist". She handed her daughter a small vial of clear liquid.

"Veritaserum? Mum, that's illegal!" Rose exclaimed.

"Sometimes it's very advantageous to know the Minister!" Hermione said with a wink as Rose was pulled away.

* * *

-AN Thank you for reading and reviewing. No one has guessed what is happening exactly right, but several of you are picking up on the right hints. Enjoy!


	13. Chapter 13

Rose landed in the Magical Transportation Office at the Boston branch of MACUSA.

"Hello, you must be Rose Weasley. Welcome to Boston! Minister Granger-Weasley called earlier and said we should expect you," a tiny, raven haired girl rapidly spoke. "I'm Elena Martinez. How can I help?"

"Martinez?" Rose asked.

"Yeah," Elena rolled her eyes, "my mom is the President of MACUSA. I'm pretty much your American counterpart. Luckily, I work over here in Boston and she's in New York. I just fell in love with New England when I was at Ilvermorny. I didn't want to leave."

"Speaking of Ilvermorny, I'm not sure if my mum mentioned the reason for my arrival?" Rose prompted.

"She just said that you needed to track down one of your fellow Brits. Is the person in trouble? Do we need to get the Aurors involved?" Elena asked.

"Oh he might be in considerable trouble, but it's nothing magical security needs to be concerned about," Rose assured.

Elena smiled, "Fair enough. I'll escort you over to Ilvermorny. Do you mind side-along apparition?"

"Well I don't love it," Rose said thinking of the nauseous feeling that always accompanied side-along, "but it's a necessary evil".

"I think I'm going to like you, Rose," Elena grinned, "grab hold!" With that the pair of witches disappeared with a pop.

They landed on the grounds of Ilvermorny. The campus was hidden high in the Berkshires and was hidden away from prying muggle eyes by a layer of magical fog. Rose glanced around at the school. The giant stone buildings had ivy growing up the walls. She spied the quidditch pitch with the stands built into the sides of a valley.

Elena chuckled at Rose's awe, "I'd be happy to give you a tour if you'd like. Or I can bring you directly to your friend. Who is it that you're looking for anyway?"

"Scorpius Malfoy, he's here studying advanced healing," Rose replied.

"Oh Scorpius? He's yummy!" Elena said with a wink. Rose growled.

"You know him, do you?" Rose hoped that her new friend hadn't been one of Scorpius's American conquests.

"He mostly keeps to himself. He works in the dungeons of the research building over there," Elena pointed to a low, flat building in the distance. "He's been eye candy for all the older girls since he got here. Not that he ever gave any of us the time of day. Why the sudden visit?"

"We've got some things that we need to discuss. He's my best friend and we had a falling out," Rose sugar coated. "I need to see about repairing the damage".

"Men can be so thick at times," Elena commiserated. The witches continued their small talk as they walked briskly to the research building. When they reached the door, Elena tapped her wand on the door and a metallic voice rang out.

"Please state your business".

"Elena Martinez and guest here to see Scorpius Malfoy. Authorization code 9-109". Rose couldn't help but be impressed by the security system as the door clicked open. "We've got a lot of flights of stairs to descend, let's go," Elena said.

Finally, Rose and Elena arrived at the base of the staircase in the lowest level of the dungeons. Rose noticed an older wizard sitting at a desk at the end of the long sparsely lit hallway.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, I thought I'd never get the chance to meet you," he said with a friendly smile.

"You know who I am?" Rose asked.

"Of course. Scorpius rarely shuts up about you. I'm Professor Burroughs, his advisor".

Rose recognized the name from her correspondence with Scorpius over the years. "How do you do?" she held out her hand.

"You Brits and your formalities! Bring it in," Burroughs squished Rose into an awkward hug.

She laughed at his forwardness. "Is Scorpius here?"

"He arrived late last night. Hasn't left the lab yet. I'm suspecting that your presence here and his reemergence are related? Head on in and see him. But be careful, he's in a rage".

Rose knocked on the door to the lab. She heard glass smashing inside the room. "GO AWAY!" Scorpius roared. Rose bravely pushed the door open and stood in the frame. Scorpius was across the room looking like a wounded animal. His hair was standing on end from where he had been yanking at it. His hands were bleeding profusely. He wheeled around to face the door "BURROUGHS, I TOLD YOU NOT TO DISTURB … Rose?" Scorpius blinked as though convinced he was hallucinating. "What are you doing here? You can't be here!"

"We need to talk, Scorp," Rose said calmly. She was scared to send him over the edge.

"What's there to talk about? Huh? Everything is a FUCKING DISASTER!" Scorpius screamed and flipped a table upside down. Papers scattered across the room and glass vials and beakers shattered on the stone floor. Scorpius didn't even flinch when some of the glass shards imbedded themselves in his bare feet.

Rose drew her wand, aimed for his chest and said, "Stupefy". Scorpius froze in an instant and crashed to the ground. She called out to the hall, "Elena, Professor Burroughs can I get some help in here?"

Two heads popped around the corner of the door frame. Elena gasped at the ruins of the laboratory. Professor Burroughs chuckled, "What a mess! No matter now. I'll leave him to sort it out when he's back in his right mind." He levitated Scorpius's limp body. "Where to Miss Weasley?"

"Can we get him back to his place in Boston?" Rose asked.

"I've got a floo in my office that's connected. When he comes to, let him know that I expect him to stay away from the lab for a few days. I'm sure he'll have no objections now that you're here," Professor Burroughs said.

* * *

Hours later, Rose was puttering around Scorpius's townhouse. It was a lovely building in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston. Scorpius remained unconscious and was now bound to a chair in his sitting room. Rose wasn't going to take any chances this time of him avoiding a proper conversation. She hoped that he would be honest without the use of the Veritaserum, but she was prepared either way.

After healing Scorpius's wounds, Rose had called upon Elena for some assistance in navigating the city. She exchanged a handful of Galleons for US dollars and went for a walk around the Boston Commons. She marveled at the beauty of the city while she contemplated how to handle the impending conversation. Once she felt that she had steeled her heart enough, she returned to Scorpius.

His townhouse, though impeccably decorated, was devoid of many personal items. Rose supposed that he might have packed away everything when he moved back to England months ago, but for now the house felt very lonely.

Rose sat on the love seat on the opposite wall from Scorpius's seat. "Rennervate," she clearly stated.

Scorpius began to stir and blinked his eyes open. He stared at her, "Rose?" he whispered. "Are you really here?"

"It's me, Scorp. We need to talk. Are you willing to be rational?" she asked and observed him.

He fidgeted under her watchful eye and noticed that he was bound. He tugged against the invisible restraints, "Is this really necessary, Rose?"

"I didn't want to take any chances," Rose said. "We need to talk about last night".

"Please, love," he begged, "I know I hurt you. I let my body override my mind and I let things get too far. It was unforgivable."

"You're allowed to not want me, Scorp," Rose said sadly. "But you lied to me".

"No, Rose. You don't understand," he pleaded.

"Then make me understand. It's pretty clear to me that you lied to try to spare my feelings. I'm a big girl, Scorpius".

Scorpius groaned and slammed his head backwards into the chair. "Rose, I assure you that I am telling you the truth. I can't just have sex with you".

"What the hell does that mean?" Rose was so confused.

"You mean more to me than a quick fuck, OK Rose?" Scorpius said. "Please, I'm begging you. Let it go".

Rose was well versed in Scorpius's diversion tactics. 'Time for Plan V' she thought. She uttered, "Relashio," and released Scorpius from his restraints. "Alright Scorp. Have a cup of tea". She pushed a cup into his hands and picked up a second for herself and sipped.

He eyed the liquid suspiciously and reached out to exchange their cups. He took a large sip and cleared his throat, "Are we OK, Rose?"

"I don't know, Scorp. I need answers. Why did you pull away last night?" Rose asked.

Scorpius instantly replied, "I'm didn't want to hurt you, Rose. You might think you want me now, but you don't know what you're asking of me."

"It's pretty simple, Scorpius," Rose stated plainly, "I'm in love with you. I need to know if you could someday return my feelings or if I should move on. I won't dwell over you if there is no hope."

"I love you, too," Scorpius said, "I've loved you for years. It killed me to pull away from you last night. My body and soul called out for you. But, once I have you, I won't ever be able to let you go. It was better to turn away than hurt you later".

Rose's eyes dampened with unshed tears, "You won't hurt me, Scorp. I trust you. Why should we deny ourselves something we both want?"

"Just because you want it now, doesn't mean you'll want it later. It's a dead end to be with me, love. I don't want that for you," he said sadly and looked down.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked gently.

"I'm cursed, Rose," Scorpius admitted.

"Cursed? What happened to you, Scorp? Whatever it is, there must be a counter-curse?"

"That's just it, love. There is no counter-curse. There is no cure. It's what I've been working on. All my research has led to absolutely nothing".

"Who cursed you? Maybe they know how to reverse it. We can demand that they do that immediately," Rose was determined.

"I wasn't cursed. My great-great grandmother was. The curse is passed on to each new generation. As soon as you reproduce, the curse takes effect. It slowly turns your blood to acid until it consumes you from the inside out. You live for years in agony. I won't ever have children, Rose. I'll make sure that this curse dies with me. I won't doom you to my fate".

Rose was stunned. This was what he had been hiding from her? "Scorp," she said gently, "that doesn't matter to me".

"You say that now, love. But you're only twenty-two," Scorpius pleaded with her to understand. "Years from now, you are going to change your mind. You'll either resent me or leave me. I'm too selfish to let you go".

"You can't know the future, Scorpius," Rose appealed. "Let me make my own choices," she stood, walked toward his chairs, and leaned down until their faces were a hairsbreadth apart. "I love you. I want you. And I'm asking you if you want me too?

Scorpius looked conflicted for a moment and Rose prepared herself for him to push her away again. Instead she felt his lips ghost across hers. "You're cruel, love. But I'm too weak to resist you anymore". He pulled her down onto his lap in a smooth motion and cupped her cheek. He tilted her chin up and claimed her lips in a gentle kiss.

* * *

Lemon warning. Skip to the next line break if it bothers you.

* * *

Rose sighed and reveled in the sensations that the contact was creating. He slowly slid his tongue along her bottom lip and she granted permission by opening her mouth. Their tongues slowly danced together as their hands began to explore. Scorpius threaded his long fingers into Rose's fiery mane and tilted her head for better access to her mouth. Rose massaged the back of his neck as she held him in place.

"Oh, Rose," Scorpius whispered as he left her lips to trail kisses along her jaw. "You don't know how long I've wanted this". He took hold of her ear lobe between his teeth and nibbled. "Wanted you".

She moaned loudly. "You can have me, Scorp". She drew a hand down his chest to toy with the top button on his shirt. "Take me, Scorpius. I want you to fuck me."

Scorpius growled, "I told you before, I can't just fuck you," Rose felt disappointment begin to bubble up as he pushed her off of his lap. "But I will make love to you". He stood and scooped her up into his arms.

She laughed and hit him lightly on the chest. He carried her into his bedroom and carefully deposited her on the center of his large bed. She propped herself up on her elbows to watch him. "I've waited for this for years. Dreamed about seeing you right there," he said. "Now that you're finally here, I'm going to take my time and savor it".

"By all means," Rose smiled, "enjoy it".

Scorpius crawled on top of her and laid his body flush against hers. Rose groaned at the heat that poured off his body and set hers on fire. "Please, Scorpius," she begged.

He dragged her shirt over her head and she made quick work of the buttons on his shirt. He cupped her left breast through her bra. Like the previous night, Rose's body responded quickly as her nipple pebbled. He bent his head down to take her other lace covered bud into his mouth. She groaned at the sensation and gripped the back of his head. "More, Scorp," she pleaded. He obliged by nimbly removing her bra and casting it across the room. He returned his lips to her skin and suckled. She felt sparks flowing in a rapid stream from her chest down to her core. "Fuck!" she moaned as her hips involuntarily bucked up to meet his jeans covered hardness.

He chuckled, "Eager there, love?" and ground his crotch into hers. "Let me make this good for you." He trailed his lips down her chest until they reached her pants. He pulled away for long enough to divest her of her remaining clothing. She was now completely exposed beneath him and felt a blush begin to rise.

He looked at her in awe, "Beautiful. You're so beautiful, Rose," he murmured. His eyes danced across her entire form as though trying to memorize every detail. He focused in on the apex of her thighs, "You're bare?" he growled appreciatively. Rose silently thanked Roxie for subjecting her to the torture the day before for the reaction Scorpius was giving now.

He traced a finger along her hip bone. She shivered at the contrasting feelings of his heated touch and the cool air. Rose felt the bed shift and looked down to see Scorpius kneeling on the floor. He wrapped his hands around her thighs and dragged her body so that her bum rested on the edge of the bed. She realized what he intended to do when she felt his warm breath against her sensitive skin. "Scorpius, you don't have to do that". Daniel had hated going down on her and it never did anything for her.

"Yes I do, love. I want to worship your body. Please don't deny me this. If you don't like it, I'll stop immediately," Scorpius promised. Rose nodded her head and Scorpius raised his hand to softly caress her skin. He draped her legs over his shoulders and dragged a finger through the wetness that had pooled and brought the digit to his lips. Rose groaned when she saw his tongue peak out to taste her arousal off the digit. "I knew you'd be sweet, love," he whispered as he spread her lips with his fingers and dove in.

Rose threw her head back with a loud moan. He flattened his tongue to massage her enflamed skin. 'Oh fuck,' she thought as he reached her clit. He hardened his tongue to a point and circled the sensitive bundle of nerves. Rose was panting hard and reached down to yank at his hair.

"Easy, Rose," he nipped at her. "Don't make me bind your hands in place." She groaned as a sudden rush of wetness flowed from her body and released his blond locks. "Hmmm, interesting reaction. I never would have thought you would enjoy that, but I'll keep it in mind for another time." He returned his talented lips and tongue to her skin with renewed vigor. He plunged two fingers into her body and curled them forward so that they reached a place within that Rose had not known existed.

Rose was quickly ascending to peak. Her internal coil was wound up so tight that she felt like she might shatter if she crashed over the edge. Scorpius pulled away for a moment and Rose nearly cried at the loss. "Let go, love," he commanded, "you need to let yourself lose control. Fall and I'll catch you," Rose felt his lips wrap themselves around her clit while the tip of a tongue quickly flicked against the bud. With one last curl of his fingers, Rose spasmed. Her vision went dark for a moment while fire flared up through her veins to consume her entirely.

When Rose returned back to Earth, Scorpius eased away from her sensitive core. He stood and smiled down at her with pride. He laid down beside her and pulled her to his side. Rose enthusiastically crashed her lips to his; she found that she did not mind her own taste on his tongue.

She reached her hand down to palm his cock through his jeans but he immediately stilled her hand. She looked at him with confusion. "Please, love. If you do that, I'm going to lose it. I need to be inside you," Scorpius pleaded.

Rose nodded and unbuttoned his jeans. Scorpius shuffled them down his narrow hips and settled his long hard body between her legs once more. She could feel his harden length pressing against her entrance. "Are you sure, Rose? There is no going back for me after this". Scorpius stared into her eyes.

"Yes, Scorp. I love you." Rose said. She cast a wandless contraception charm over her abdomen. "Please make love with me".

Scorpius slowly pushed his hips forward as he sank into her warmth. When they were fully joined, the pair stilled for a moment to adjust to the overwhelming sensation. Rose felt deliciously stretched as her wetness welcomed him home. They began to rock together until they fell into a gentle rhythm.

Scorpius bathed Rose's face in soft kisses while she gripped at his strong shoulders. She wrapped her legs around his waist and encouraged him to pick up the pace. His hips started to move faster and she let out a groan with every one of his thrusts. Soon, his movements became erratic and he exclaimed "Rose, I'm close. I need you to come with me". He reached to touch her just above their adjoined bodies. His fingers rubbed furious circles on her exposed nub.

She wantonly moaned. "Fuck, Scorp. Fuck!" she screamed as her inner walls clenched. He relinquished control of his own body and emptied his seed into her. His head fell into the crook of her neck as his body stilled.

* * *

Minutes later, or perhaps hours as Rose had lost all sense of time, Scorpius withdrew from her heat. He rolled to the side and tucked her into his embrace. He pressed his lips against her forehead and she delighted in the feel. "I love you, Rose," he whispered.

Rose felt her eyes become heavy as her body gave into exhaustion. "I love you, too," she murmured as she allowed herself to fall into a peaceful sleep wrapped in his arms.

* * *

-AN My first full length lemon. I hope you liked it.


	14. Chapter 14

Rose Weasley was burning up. Consciousness returned to her slowly as the heat permeated her skin. It was strangely reminiscent of the way she had woken weeks ago when Scorpius had slept over her flat and caused a stir with a Daily Prophet. Except this time, they were not separated by a layer of clothing. The corners of Rose's mouth upturned as she recalled the reason that they were both nude this morning.

"What's the smile about, love?" a husky voice implored.

Rose opened her eyes slowly to find Scorpius staring down at her with affection. He leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her lips. "Just thinking about how things have changed," she replied.

Scorpius considered her for a few moments, "You don't regret this, do you?"

"Never," Rose stated adamantly and pressed her lips to his. After a minute, she drew back. She stretched and felt a delectable soreness between her legs. She rolled her hips forward slightly to work out a kink in her lower spine and pressed into his hardness.

Scorpius groaned, "That's maybe not the best idea right now, Rose". She looked at him questioningly. "I'd love nothing more than to take you again, love, but we have some things we still need to discuss. Starting with how in the hell you managed to get me to tell you about the curse last night. I wasn't going to tell you until after I had found the cure," he told her with a slightly perturbed look.

She rolled her eyes, "And where would that have gotten us? You would have kept shutting yourself off from me and I would have eventually been forced to move on convinced you'd never want me. Honesty really is a brilliant thing. I had a little assistance," she said with a smirk that was eerily similar to his own.

"I knew you were trying to slip me something in the tea last night. That's why I switched the cups. But how did you manage it?" he asked.

"I've been friends with you for long enough that I've picked up a few tricks. I figured you might be wary and switch the cups so I put Veritaserum in both. I had to dose myself too," she admitted.

"How'd you get the Veritaserum? It's highly regulated and only the Auror's office or the Minister…" he trailed off, "Never mind, I answered my own question. So your family knows you're here. Wait, does you father know? Oh, Merlin I'm a dead man".

"I have no idea what my dad does or does not know. I assume Mum filled him in about my trip, but I'm not sure. Your father knows though. He gave me the push I needed to get here".

"Remind me to buy him something extravagant to thank him," Scorpius laughed "I never thought I'd finally have you here in my arms. Pinch me". Rose obliged with a big pinch on his arse. "OUCH!" he laughed and rolled away from her. "As much as I'd love to keep you in this bed forever, there are some things I've got to tell you. Want to go for a walk?"

Rose agreed and the couple quickly dressed in warm attire to venture out into the winter air. Scorpius tucked Rose into his side and they meandered through the snowy streets of Boston. A quick muffliato assured that their conversation would remain private from any muggles passing nearby.

"What did you mean that you were cursed?" Rose asked.

"It's a family curse. My great-great grandmother, Aldora Gamp, had been an apprentice of Nicolas Flam..," Scorpius began.

"Nicolas Flamel? The alchemist?" Rose interrupted.

Scorpius shot her a look and she blushed. "As I was saying, she worked with him in the late 19th century. She was obsessively fascinated with the Philosopher's Stone. She did not care for its ability to turn metal to gold. Her family was far too wealthy as it was. She wanted to achieve a panacea through a modified Elixir of Life; a remedy to all diseases and death itself".

"This is sounding a little Voldemort-esque," Rose noted.

"Well spotted. My lineage is filled with people who were determined to disrupt life's natural order," Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Aldora's methods became more and more experimental and dangerous over time. She abandoned her husband and spent every moment with the stone. Flamel barred her from his work and no longer allowed her access to the stone. But she was fixated on recreating the elixir. One day, she was convinced that she had finally solved it but she needed one last ingredient to synthesize the elixir without the stone. One that could keep a person alive even if they are an inch from death".

The cogs in Rose's head were whirling until the landed on a startling conclusion. "No! You can't mean.."

Scorpius snorted darkly, "That's exactly what I mean, love. She thought that she could use unicorn blood to make panacea. She ran away from her family, travelled to the Black Forest in Germany, and found a herd. She slaughtered them all, Rose".

Rose shuddered at the horror. To slay one unicorn, let alone an entire herd, was unimaginable. To destroy something so pure? Tears pricked at Rose's eyes. "So she was cursed. But why does that affect you?"

"When she killed all those innocent creatures, she was pregnant with my great-grandmother. I don't know how it happened, but the curse was passed on to the child innocently growing in her mother's womb. When it was discovered what Aldora had done, she was arrested and spent the rest of her life in a magical asylum. My great-grandmother was born there seven months later taking Aldora's life in exchange for her own. When my great-grandmother had her own daughter, Georgiana, she lived a few years. Grandmother Georgiana passed away when my mother was eight and my own mother died when I was thirteen. The curse lets a person live until they have children of their own," Scorpius sighed. "I don't want to pass this curse on to another generation".

"Oh, Scorpius," Rose's heart broke for the terrible burden this man was made to bear. They walked in silence for a few minutes while she tried to grapple with the deluge of emotions his story had created. "So you've been trying to break the curse?"

"Yeah," he said, "I've taken samples on mine and my Aunt Daphne's blood to compare it to clean blood. We're both carriers of the same cursed mutation. I've tried every healing remedy out there to try to fix the mutation, but nothing works. Aunt Daph is in agreement with me that the curse should end with us. That's why she left Uncle Blaise. She'd rather be alone than hurt someone else".

"You felt the same way, didn't you Scorp?" Rose questioned sadly. "You were going to isolate yourself forever from anyone who could possibly love you".

"I didn't want anyone. Just you, Rose. It's always been you," he pledged.

She rolled her eyes, "You're forgetting that I knew you in Hogwarts when you had a rotating list of bed partners. It hasn't always been me".

He looked sheepish, "I was a stupid, randy teenage boy. Those romps were nothing more than sating hormonal demands. I had a silly crush on you during our younger years, but you made it clear that you weren't interested. I developed real feelings for you during seventh. I was going to tell you how I felt after the Easter holiday that year and see if you wanted to give me a chance. But then Grandfather told me about the curse and I knew I couldn't. What seventeen year old would want to tether themselves to someone without a future?"

"I wish you had told me, Scorp. I could have tried to help you. Or at least I could have been there for you to talk with. I can't imagine having kept this bottled up inside for years. Have you told anyone else?" she asked.

"Other than my family and Professor Burroughs, you are the first," he said. "I suppose now that you know, I should tell Al. He'll be pissed that I kept it from him, but I didn't want him spilling the beans to you".

Rose laughed, "Yeah, he has trouble keeping his mouth shut at times". She shivered as a gust of wind blew into her face. The temperature had dropped as the sun set below the horizon. The warming charm she had cast upon them earlier had dissipated and her teeth were beginning to chatter.

Scorpius tucked her closer into his side. She reveled in his warmth, "Ready to head home, love?"

'Home,' Rose thought. She very much liked the idea of home being where he was.

* * *

Hours later, Rose was lying on his couch with her feet propped on his lap. Her hair had dried into a riotous mess of curls after the shower he insisted they take together when they returned to the townhouse. 'To warm up,' he claimed with a predatory look in his eyes. Rose had to admit, she was plenty hot after that.

Rose had one of Leta Lestrange's journals propped open on her belly as she walked him through what she had discovered about his paternal ancestor.

"It never ceases to amaze me how manipulative Malfoys can be," Scorpius said with a scowl. He massaged at Rose's calves and she suppressed a groan. His fingers were very talented. "Grandfather takes after Abraxas in so many ways. He controlled most aspects of my grandmother and father's life as well. It's fortunate my father isn't demanding the same of me".

"Well, Leta was brilliant so he must take after her. She cooked up this plan to escape a life she did not want. Dumbledore had never helped a student become an animagus before, but she convinced him that she needed to do it. From what my parents have told me about him, it's no surprise that he would have jumped at the opportunity to break a few rules and push the boundaries".

"Did you find out anything about how she transformed? Anything that can help you?" he asked.

"Not yet," Rose admitted, "but I've got a couple journals left to read".

"I'll let you read in peace then," Scorpius said with a smile and fell silent. He continued to knead her legs as her attention returned to the book on her chest.

 _January 14, 1913_

 _I am a ferret. With all the multitude of animals that could have emerged from within me, I am a bloody, albino ferret. What does that say about who I am?_

 _Obviously, my transformation was a success if you can call it that. Professor Dumbledore looked on with astonished pride when I became an animagus. Newt said that I am utterly adorable as a ferret. At least I'm small enough that it'll be easy enough for him to smuggle me out of the country when the time comes. That's a benefit to being a ruddy ferret._

 _But why couldn't I have been a more intimidating animal? A Welsh Green would have been perfectly acceptable. I could have burned that insufferable Malfoy prat to a crisp and been free from that marriage contract. Then I could remain in England and no longer have to lead poor Newt on._

 _I think he loves me and I allow him to believe that I might love him in return. I feel just terrible for using him like this, but I can't stay here. I want much more for myself than to be some perfect, socialite wife; only seen as a pretty adornment for a pathetic wizard._

 _Perhaps that's why I am a ferret. At my core, I'm a taker. A user. A thief. I used his own feelings towards me and manipulated them to achieve what I wanted. I know I am a terrible person but I've been pushed into this._

 _-L_

Rose was stunned. Leta believed that her animagus form was a reflection of who she was. At her core, she felt she was a user and a thief and that had manifested itself into her transformation. Her core? Her magical essence? Her spirit? Rose's mind was spinning as she made connections at lightning speed. She dug her heels in and sat upright.

"Ouch, Rose. Watch where you press!" Scorpius yelped. He pushed her feet off his lap and massage at his crotch.

"Sorry, Scorp!" she scooted over the couch and placed the journal into his hands. "Look at this!" she pointed to the passage she had just read.

His eyes quickly scanned the page. "OK? I don't understand what this means".

"It means, I think, that her animagus form was ingrained into who she was. You know how a person's patronus is a reflection of their inner spirit?" Rose asked excitedly.

"Yeah, and that's why people who have unhappiness weighing down on their spirit are able to generate one. So you think that someone's spirit determines their animagus?

"Not exactly. Most people's patronus and animagus match, but not always. A patronus can change over time as a person's spirit changes, but the animagus form always remains the same."

Scorpius frowned slightly, "If it's not a person's spirit, what is it?"

Rose stared into his eyes, "It's something much more permanent than fleeting inner spirit. Deeper than that. It's their magical core, their essence". She paused, "Scorp, I think it's soul magic".

* * *

-AN A couple of major reveals this chapter. According to canon, drinking the blood of a unicorn gives a person a cursed-life. I figured spilling the blood of an entire herd would achieve the same. Thanks for your reviews. Enjoy!


	15. Chapter 15

Rose and Scorpius spent the next few days exploring Boston. He showed her his favorite haunts around the city. One night they capped off with a delightful dinner in the North End and Rose relished the opportunity to properly recreate the kiss over a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. It was a messy affair and left them both in stitches. The muggles nearby surely thought the couple had lost their minds as they cackled over the Italian feast.

Scorpius took Rose to visit Salem. She mourned the loss of the muggles and magical folk who had been caught up in the hysteria. Prejudice and hate for the unknown still ran rampant in the world, but here was a concrete example of what could happen when a group of people took their beliefs and fears too far. People whose only crime was being different were attacked without just cause. Rose was thankful that the strict separation of magic from the muggle worlds wasn't as radically enforced in England as it had been here in Salem.

Scorpius insisted they sign up for a Haunted Salem tour, and because it was March they were the only ones. The old wiccan guide, Priscilla, filled their heads with lore of witchcraft and gave them a quick course in the use of plants for healing. Rose noted that the woman was correct about how most of the plants could be used although she called them by different names. The tour culminated in aura photography. Rose chuckled when she saw the developed photograph of Scorpius.

"I should have known your aura would be green". Rose lowered her voice and whispered in his ear, "Always a Slytherin, huh?"

"Yes, my dears. A green aura is indicative of a healing soul. Are you perhaps a doctor?" Priscilla asked in an airy voice that reminded Rose a great deal of Luna Lovegood.

Scorpius smiled, "Yes, I am studying to be a type of doctor".

"Hmm, well your aura shows that you have the capacity to excel in that field. Now you, my dear," Priscilla turned to Rose, "your aura is unlike any that I've ever seen before".

Rose rolled her eyes at the comment. 'She must tell all the tourists that,' she thought. Aura photography felt like it was related to Divination which in Rose's opinion was a very woolly subject. She plastered on a smile, "What do you see, Priscilla?"

"You are pure fire. I have seen orange auras. I have seen red auras. But your aura looks as though you are being consumed by flames". She revealed the photograph to Rose and Scorpius.

Rose was stunned; it did look like the colors were pouring off her skin in a ball of fire. "What does this mean?"

"I have no idea. But please, if you ever figure it out, let me know!" Priscilla smiled. She handed Rose a business card. Rose accepted the card but knew that she'd never be able to share with this muggle.

Rose and Scorpius left Priscilla shortly after that, but not before Scorpius purchased a healing crystal necklace for Rose.

"You know these a codswallop, right?" Rose asked why lightly fingering the charm.

"Of course. But it's pretty and I wanted to buy it for you. Simple as that," he said with a smile. Rose noted that he was freer with genuine smiles now. She loved to see that happy look upon his face. She gave him a brief kiss. "What was that for, love?"

"I wanted to give you a kiss. Simple as that," she parrot back to him and tugged him along the snowy street. He let out a loud laugh and allowed her to lead.

The couple soon found a quiet, deserted alleyway and apparated to the gates of Ilvermorny. Scorpius led her around the school and pointed out his favorite places. Rose was thankful that as an advanced student, Scorpius was allowed to live off campus in Boston. She much preferred his spacious townhouse to the crowded dorms he showed her. Having his own place granted them endless privacy too, which was an added perk this week.

They returned to his research laboratory. The room was just as they had left it; utter chaos. Rose and Scorpius took out their wands and righted the desks, sorted the papers, and banished the broken glass. Once the room was safe to traverse again, Scorpius led Rose over to a wall of glass vials full of dark red liquid. He took down two of the vials.

"I've been able to magically accelerate the cells within the blood to behave as they do when the curse is passed on," he stated. With another wave of his wand Scorpius said, "and this is want happens when the blood ages after that point". The blood in one of the vials boiled violently, turned black, and dissolved the glass that contained it. "Scourgify," Scorpius sighed.

"That was your blood?" Rose asked with a note of fear.

"Aunt Daph's actually. But mine acts the same way. I've tried every cure I can think of, magical or muggle, and nothing can defeat this curse," he said sadly.

Rose comforted Scorpius by pulling him into her arms. He nuzzled against her neck and they remained locked together for a few minutes.

"Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt," came a voice from the hallway.

Scorpius groaned at the intrusion but nevertheless uncoiled from Rose. "Hello Burroughs".

"Glad to see you too kids have finally gotten over yourselves," Burroughs said with an eyebrow quirked. "Perhaps this should be a lesson for you, Scorpius. Talk things over before you throw tantrums and nearly destroy years of work. You're lucky I thought to put a shield charm up around your actual work".

"Thanks for that. I wasn't in my right mind," Scorpius admitted.

"You can say that again," Burroughs laughed. "You're lucky you're my favorite. If one of the younger students had pulled that shit, they'd have been scrubbing out burnt on cauldron residue for the rest of the year".

Rose laughed. She could easily understand why Scorpius got along with his advisor so well. Both men had a warped sense of humor and a tendency for vengefulness. "Hello again, Professor".

"None of that 'Professor' nonsense, Rose. Just call me Burroughs, or George if you'd prefer," he said with a wink. Scorpius growled. "Now, now, Scorpius. No need to be jealous. As lovely as Rose is, she's just not my type. She lacks the right equipment if you catch my drift".

"You're gay!?" Scorpius asked, "What? How? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but how did I not know this about you?"

"It's because you are unbelievably obtuse, Scorpius," Burroughs chuckled. "Professor Jeremy Hill and I have been married for a decade. We've had you over to the house. Rose what do you see in this blind fool?"

Rose shook her head, "It seems like we are pretty well matched in missing what is right in front of our eyes. I just figured out that I loved this idiot a few days ago".

"Ouch, watch the insults, love," Scorpius jested and pulled her in for a snog.

"Hey, I do not need to see that!" Burroughs exclaimed. "I'm glad you finally pulled the stick out of your ass and made a move, Scorp. But please, kept it under control". Scorpius grinned wolfishly. "Have you finally told her all about the curse, then?"

"She dosed me with Veritaserum to drag it out of me," Scorpius admitted. "But it feels good to have it out in the open".

Rose asked, "Do you have any other ideas of what he could try?"

"Unfortunately, he's exhausted my knowledge on advanced healing. We've tried everything that man, whether magical or muggle, has ever produced to cure it, but nothing works. It seems that any child born of this line will be cursed. It's a shame, because you too would make such beautiful babies".

"If it's not a possibility to have a child of our own, there are other options. But it's far too soon for Scorp and I to be discussing that," Rose said.

"Fair enough," Burroughs said with a shrug. "I'll leave you to it then. But Rose, the next time you are in the states, please stop by and see my again. I'd love to introduce you to Jer". He bade farewell to the pair and swept out of the room.

Rose helped Scorpius pack away the remaining blood samples and the pair walked back across the Ilvermorny grounds to apparate to his townhouse. They landed in kitchen and immediately heard a loud pounding on the front door.

"Who in the hell," Scorpius muttered as he answered.

One the front step was one, very irate looking, Elena Martinez. "Where have you been?!" she pushed past Scorpius and flung herself down on the couch.

"Do come in," Scorpius said sarcastically. "What's up Elena?"

"What's up is that your mother," she pointed at Rose, "is threatening to send a squad of Aurors to America because someone," she narrowed her eyes, "hasn't called".

"Oh shit," Rose said while Scorpius snorted in laughter. She smack him upside the head. "Let me go call her real quick".

Rose pulled out her magical cell that was programmed to work worldwide. She dialed her parent's home number.

"HELLO!" a voice bellowed.

"Hi Dad," Rose said.

"ROSIE! IS THAT YOU?! WHERE ARE YOU?! ARE YOU SAFE?!"

Rose laughed, "Can you put Mum on?" Even after being married to her mother for close to thirty years, Ron Weasley still had not grasped the concept of a telephone. No matter how many times they explained it to him, Ron stubbornly refused to accept that one could talk at a normal volume on the phone and be perfectly understood.

"Rose, sweetheart?" she heard her mother's voice on the line. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Mum. No need to call out the attack dogs. You sent the American Ministry into a panic," Rose said.

"I just said that I was concerned that you hadn't contacted me yet and that I might send Uncle Harry and Albus over to see if you needed help," Hermione stated.

Rose laughed, "Everything is good. I'm having a great time. I'll be home next weekend,"

"Are you going to make my pry, Rose?" Hermione prompted. Rose could practical hear her mother salivating on the other end for details.

"Scorpius and I worked through our issues. He had legitimate reasons for pushing me away the other night, but I managed to convince him that it didn't matter to me".

"And!?" Hermione said impatiently.

"I love him Mum. And he loves me back," Rose grinned.

Hermione let out a very un-Hermione like squeal that Rose assumed set every dog in a two kilometer radius into a frenzy, "It look you long enough! I've got to tell Draco that our meddling worked".

"Maybe you could tell Dad, too?" Rose asked.

"Oh, no sweetheart. You get the honor of telling him that his daughter is now being defiled by ferret junior," Hermione laughed.

"Thanks a lot for the support, Mum," Rose said sarcastically. "I've got to run now. Elena Martinez is in the living room with Scorp right now. Shall I let her know that the British Ministry is not going to start an international conflict?"

"You do that, Rose," Hermione stated. "I'll see you this weekend. I expect details. Love you!" she hung up the call.

Rose shook her head at her mother. Perhaps Rose could scare her mother with tales of her bedroom (and outside of the bedroom) activities to effectively prevent her mother from asking for details ever again. She inwardly congratulated herself on the plan.

Rose halted when she entered the living room once more. "What the bloody hell is going on?!" She was agog at the scene in front of her. Scorpius was shirtless and sprawled face down on a blanket spread out on the floor between the furniture. That on its own would not have been so strange if not for Elena's position.

The tiny witch was barefoot and standing on his shoulder blades. "I'll do you next, Rose".

Rose quirked an eyebrow, "Do want exactly?" She heard muffled noises escape from Scorpius's mouth. "Say that again, Scorp."

"Elena is a goddess of massages. She spent a year studying abroad at Mahoutokoro and learned this trick. You've got to try it," he scooted over so that Rose could lie beside him.

"You've got to take off your top, Rose," Elena said. Rose blushed. "Nothing I haven't seen before and I'm sure Scorpius here won't mind a look at your goodies".

"I can leave the room if you want, love," Scorpius said generously.

"No, it's fine Scorp," Rose summoned her bravely and slid her shirt over her head. She unclasped her bra and laid her head down on the soft blanket.

Elena stepped carefully onto Rose's back causing Rose to take a sharp inhale. "Let me know if it's too much for you". She dug her toes into Rose's shoulder blades and ground her heels into her spine. "You're wicked tense".

Minutes later, Rose's body began to relax under the pressure and she sighed as her eyes fluttered shut. 'Hmmm,' Rose thought, 'she is a goddess of massage'. Rose's sighs soon turned to moans as Elena worked the kinks from her neck. "HMMMM, oh yeah," Rose groaned.

"Elena, I think you need to leave now," Scorpius's hoarse voice entered Rose's trance-like state of being.

"What? Why?" Rose exclaimed and forced her eyes open.

"I get it," Elena smirked at Scorpius. "I'll let him take over. Come see me before you head back to England, Rose". With that, she quickly left the townhouse.

Scorpius was on Rose in an instant, his knees straddling her lower back. He lowered himself so that he could whisper into Rose's ear, "You have no idea what your little noises were doing to me".

Rose could feel his hardness pulsing through his jeans on her spine. Oh she had a pretty good idea what those noises had done. "Why don't you see what noises you can get me to make?"

Scorpius chuckled darkly, "I accept your challenge. But first," he drew his wand and cast a silencing charm around the room, "Now you can be as loud as you want. I want to hear you scream my name before this night is through".

'That should not be a problem,' Rose thought. 'No,' as he bit down her neck eliciting a gasp, 'that wouldn't be a problem at all'.

* * *

-AN I highly recommend touring Salem, if you get the opportunity. Aura photography is a real thing and is a frequent tie in with many tours.


	16. Chapter 16

-AN Some of you have commented that you are confused why the curse did not affect Narcissa, Lucius, or Draco and why it is relevant that Daphne is involved. It might be helpful to re-read Chapter 14 to understand the origins of the curse. Scorpius is cursed because his mother carried the curse. The other Malfoys were not involved in this curse at all. Thanks for your reviews. Enjoy!

* * *

That weekend, Rose reluctantly left Scorpius to obtain a portkey back to England. He promised that he'd return shortly and asked Rose to update his father. She blushingly agreed knowing that the intuitive Malfoy would be able to discern exactly what she and his son had been up to that week. Scorpius assured her that his father would be happy for them as he had been aware of Scorpius's feelings for years.

After having been delayed twice (damn Scorpius and his ability to seduce her), Rose finally gave Scorpius a farewell kiss and flooed to the Boston branch of MACUSA. She asked a passing wizard where she could find Elena Martinez and was directed to a small office at the end of a long hallway.

Rose knocked on the open door frame and announced, "I'm returning home today. Thought I'd pop in and say goodbye".

Elena quickly deserted her work and crushed Rose in a fierce hug. "I'm so happy I finally got to meet you! I hope you enjoyed your time in the states".

"Oh, I did. Thank you. Boston is lovely," Rose replied.

Elena grinned, "I get the feeling that you preferred the company rather than the city. You lucky bitch to snag Scorpius! All the girls wanted him when he first got here. I was a seventh year and my friends would hopelessly trail after him trying to catch his attention. He never let on, but I'm guessing his attention was on you the entire time".  
Rose blushed, "So it would seem. I didn't see him as anything other than a friend until recently".

"You must have been blind then. That boy is FINE! What's he like in bed? My friends speculated that he was a sex god back in school. And I think they might have been right with the way he reacted to your massage the other night".

Rose shivered as she remembered that night. After Elena had left, they'd done a fantastic job of christening the floor of his living room. And the kitchen table. And the bathroom counter. She's fallen asleep sometime around dawn and woken the next afternoon to Scorpius's head between her thighs. They hadn't left the townhouse that day. Instead, they ordered Chinese delivery and spent the evening lounging naked on the couch.

"I didn't have much to compare him to before. My ex-boyfriend was extremely selfish in bed. But Scorpius just gets me. It's like he can anticipate my wants and needs better than I can," Rose said. She felt a bit embarrassed to discuss her sex life with someone, but figured that Elena was relatively impartial.

Elena sighed, "You and he are so lucky to have found one another. I'm a hopeless romantic and believe in soulmates and all that jazz. It sounds like you were made for each other. I hope I find that someday".

"You will," Rose promised, "I promise. I'd be stupid to not believe in fate with the way it has played into my family's lives. You'll meet someone when you least expect it. Might I suggest copious amounts of alcohol and truth serum? It's what final got me to wake up".

Elena snorted, "Alcohol and truth serum? Damn Rose, whatever works!"

Before Rose's portkey activated, she made Elena promise to visit her in England someday soon. Elena swore to put in for some vacation time as Rose was whisked away to her parent's kitchen.

"Rose," her mother's voice called from the next room, "is that you sweetheart?"

Rose walked into the living room and was greeted by two smiling faces and one scowl. Lily was practically bouncing out of her seat. "You're back! How was it?! Did you and Scorpius finally pull your heads out of your arses? Was it good? I bet it was good".

Ron Weasley growled, "I don't want to hear about anything being good. Are you alright, Rosie? Did he hurt you? If he hurt you, I'll kill him".

Rose knew she needed to put a quick stop to her father's murderous imagination. "I'm fine, Dad. No, he didn't hurt me. We're in a relationship now. I love him," Rose said softly.

Hermione and Lily's faces beamed while Ron's turned to panic. "Are you sure, Rosie? He didn't put you under the Imperius Curse? We need to test you for it!"

"Give it a rest, Ronald!" Hermione angrily said. "Scorpius is a fine boy who would sooner die than do anything to hurt Rose".

"But Hermione…" he whined.

"But nothing, Ron. If you can't trust him, at least trust your daughter. I will not have you ruining her happiness for her". Hermione stated emphatically.

Ron sighed in resignation, "OK, OK. But if he does hurt you, or pressures you into doing something you don't want to do, I get to kill him".

Rose supposed that was the best she could expect. She hugged her dad and said, "Thanks. I love you".

Ron held her for a minute and whispered into her ear, "You'll always be my baby girl".

Lily interrupted the father-daughter moment by exclaiming, "Now that that's over with, I want details!"

"I'll take that as my cue to leave. I'm heading over to Harry's. Owl me when it's safe to return," he said while scurrying out of the room.

"That damn man," Hermione sighed and then cracked into a grin, "So?"

Rose groaned knowing that there would be no escaping from this inquisition. She launched into an abridged version of the last week of her life. She skirted over the details of their many sexual encounters, much to Lily's consternation.

"What I don't understand is why he left the way he did the night of Roxanne's wedding," Hermione asked, "What happened?"

"It's not really for me to say what happened. Scorpius had legitimate personal reasons for pushing me away. We're going to work through them. If he chooses to share what they were, that's fine. He wouldn't have told me if not for the Veritaserum so thanks for that Mum," Rose said.

"I'm glad Draco gave me the heads up but Scorpius's reluctance to divulge," Hermione laughed.

"How was it that you teamed up with Mr. Malfoy anyway?" Lily asked.

"It's pretty simple. I love Rose and he loves Scorpius. Parents will do just about anything to see their children happy. He floo called me when you were over at the Manor looking "positively morose" in his words. He took a chance and assumed that you were hurting in the same way that Scorpius was and contacted me. He's a master at manipulation and scheming and I had the means to put it into action," Hermione said with a wink.

"Well as much as I appreciate your interference earlier, I hope you two can refrain from messing around with my relationship. Scorpius and I still need time to figure everything out," Rose admitted.

"I'm just glad to see you smiling again. You're happier and more relaxed than I've seen you in eons," Hermione noted.

"It doesn't hurt that she's well shagged now too!" Lily chirped.

"LILY!" Rose exclaimed before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

* * *

Rose returned to work on the following Monday. She had reread Leta Lestrange's journals and felt that there was merit in exploring soul magic. As this was out of Rose's field, she knew she needed to consult an expert. After emerging from the lift on the ninth floor Rose proceeded past her own office to pay Unspeakable O'Brien a visit.

"O'Brien," Rose knocked on his door, "might I have a quick word?"

"Yes, yes, come in," O'Brien replied. "What can I do for you Rose?"

"I know we are not allowed to discuss our work with one another, but can you please give me a crash course in soul magic? A basic overview should be sufficient," Rose asked.

O'Brien pulled an ancient looking book from a dusty bookshelf behind his desk. "The soul is the essence of any living being. It defines who we are in our most basic form. In a magical being, the soul dictates how the magic is manifested". He pointed to an illustration in the text. The moving diagram showed an approximation of pulsing core that radiated out of a person. It reminded Rose of the Aura photography from Salem.

"So it is possible that a person's soul defines some of their magical abilities?" Rose asked trying to contain her excitement. 'Finally,' she thought, 'a breakthrough'.

"That is what most who study the subject believe," O'Brien cocked his head to the side to observe Rose. She thought he looked strangely like an owl in doing so. "Do you have any more questions?"

"None at the moment," Rose could not wait to return to her own office. She had to contact Professor Faso to test her theory. "Thank you for your assistance," she said and waved goodbye to her co-worker.

Rose ran down the hall and flung herself into her office. She noticed a beautiful bouquet of tulips in a crystal vase on her desk. Despite being named after a different bud, tulips were Rose's favorite flower. They never failed to brighten her spirits. She spied a small card attached to the vase with elegant script.

Rose

I'll be home in a week. Miss you already.

Love Always

-S

Rose grinned. She prided herself on being a strong, independent woman, but she could easily get used to being showered in affection by Scorpius. She spotted a second note shoved under the vase, however this one had handwriting more closely resembling chicken scratch.

Rosie Posie

Scorpius asked me to play owl and deliver these. Any reason why my best friend should be sending my cousin flowers and love letters? Meet you at The Leaky at 6. No excuses!

Albus

Rose laughed at her cousin's assertiveness. Apparently she now had dinner plans. She figured it was only right to warn him that she planned on snogging the pants off Scorpius when he returned. A few public displays of affection were in order as retribution for the sights Rose had beheld in the first few months that Albus was dating Alice. Some things just can't be unseen and her cousin's pasty arse was one of them.

* * *

Later that week, Rose once again traveled to Uganda to meet with Professor Faso and her students. She was eager to ask them about how they felt they related to their animagus forms. She hoped that their self-reflections would parallel those in Leta Lestrange's journals and confirm her theory about soul magic.

Like her last visit, Professor Faso met her at the gate and escorted her to an open classroom. One by one the students filed in.

Rose asked the students what they thought of their forms. The student who could morph into a cheetah revealed that the form suited him because he was proud, protective and had lightning fast magical reflexes. The two students who transformed into elephants were identical twins that believed the most important thing in life was a family unit that stands strong together. Niakisi, the student who became a water buffalo, admitted that she was initially dismayed at her form.

"Do you not feel as though it reflects who you are at your core?" Rose asked.

"No," Niakisi responded, "It is not that. As I said before, I am the water buffalo and the water buffalo is me. I am still growing and learning to understand myself. Perhaps with time, I will understand what it is within me that made the water buffalo emerge".

Rose was satisfied with the students' responses. They all seemed to confirm that the animagus form was determined by some internal part of themselves that they could not completely define. Rose was confident that it was in fact soul magic. A person had no control over what they would become. That was why she had been unable to transform years before. She had spent too long dwelling on what animal she might be and the magic had not worked. She was lucky compared to the symposium wizard who tried to force himself to become an Abraxan Winged Horse. Or Mr. Adero whose desires to become a barracuda had merged with his own soul-reflection falcon.

As Rose was packing up to leave she asked Professor Faso if they could stop by the infirmary to visit Mr. Adero.

"He is no longer in the infirmary. His health has been steadily progressing. I'd wager we will find him in the library," Professor Faso responded. She led Rose through the halls of Oagadou and past the double doors of the grand library. Rose scanned the tables of students but was unable to spot the poor boy. Out of the corner of her eye, a waving hand caught her attention.

"Is that?" Rose was flabbergasted.

"Yes, that is Mr. Adero. To be young and fast healing once more," Professor Faso joked as she led Rose to the boy's table.

"How are you doing, Mr. Adero," Rose asked. She could not believe this was the same boy that she had seen months ago.

"I'm much better Ms. Weasley. Glad to be out of the hospital wing, that's for sure," Adero said with a grin.

Rose was elated that the boy seemed to be thriving, "What are you up to?" she asked.

"I've got a lot of work to catch up on. I missed about a month of classes. I have to get everything in order before finals," he said.

Rose laughed, "Well I'm glad to see you feeling so much better. Good luck with your school work!"

Professor Faso and Rose walked back to the gates making idle small talk. "As always, I appreciate your assistance," Rose said, "I hopefully should have some conclusive results soon".

"You're planning on trying to transition again, aren't you Rose?" Professor Faso intuitively asked.

"Yes, I'll have to gather the ingredients, but I hope to start very soon". Rose said.

Professor Faso smiled, "I thought that might be the case". She reached into a pocket in her robes and withdrew a small glass jar with a single leaf. "Mandrake leaf to get you started. I picked it just before you arrived".

"Thank you! This saves me a trip to the apothecary," Rose gratefully replied. She said goodbye to the professor and activated her portkey.

Rose quickly finished up at work and flooed directly into her apartment. She placed the mandrake leaf under her tongue and carefully enunciated 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus'. She smiled to herself; it has begun.


	17. Chapter 17

A few days later, Rose was eagerly waiting for Scorpius to return. She spent hours fretting around her apartment making sure everything was in order. She had considered greeting him in lingerie in a provocative pose, but decided against that. While Scorpius brought out a sensual side of Rose that she hadn't known existed, she felt unbelievably awkward while practicing seductive poses. Plus, Rose's family had the unfortunate habit of popping in unannounced and she did not wish to be caught by one of them with her private bits on display.

Instead, she wore a comfortable green wrap dress and kept the lacy bra and knickers hidden from view. Lily had helped Rose pick out the set on a very embarrassing shopping trip the day before. While Lily had pushed for more adventurous fashion (read crotch-less or edible knickers), Rose purchased a set made of black and cream lace. The tiny knickers barely covered the essentials and the bra gave her already ample breasts some fabulous cleavage. She looked forward to when Scorpius would undress her later that night like a welcome home present.

She and Scorpius had exchanged a series of rather intimate emails in their separation. Rose was not ashamed to admit that the messages had left her hot and bothered. Her own hands were unable to fully sate her need for the beautiful blond man. Rose hoped he wouldn't be too tired from international travel tonight to shag her senseless.

Rose heard her floo roar to life and her heart jumped into her throat. A tall, blond man stepped into her living room. She sighed when she recognized that it wasn't the Malfoy she was expecting.

"Hello Draco," Rose said.

"Rose, I need to ask you a favor. I figured I'd stop in before Scorpius arrives since it's unlikely he will find time for his old man anytime soon after this arrival," Draco gave Rose a pointed look. She flushed. "Can you let him know that Daphne is asking to meet with him soon? She fears that the curse may become active in her even if she doesn't have a child. Apparently she has now lived longer than any of her other female relatives and it's causing her to panic".

"Poor Daphne. I can't imagine that stress. To have the course of your life dictated by the horrendous choices of ancestor? Of course I'll let Scorpius know," Rose promised. "And I'll make sure Scorpius stops in to see you and his grandparents soon".

"Ah," Draco said, "you may wish to warn him that his grandfather is on a bit of a bender. He did not take the news of your relationship very well. He's spouting off the old nonsense about blood superiority again".

"I see," said Rose. She wondered how much longer that rampant prejudice would exist in the wizarding world.

"Don't let that dissuade you, Rose. His views are no longer my own and were never Scorpius's. I'm proud that my son has a lovely witch such as you by his side. I'm happy to welcome you into the Malfoy fold, even if it means that I might be tangentially related to The Weasel King someday," Draco chuckled.

Rose laughed. Some things would never change. The now friendly rivalry between the amazing bouncing ferret and the Weasel King was just something that would live on indefinitely. "Thanks Draco, but Scorpius and I are still a long way off from that".

Draco smiled knowingly, "Perhaps. But If I know my son, it's already on his mind".

Rose smiled shyly. Scorpius was years ahead of her in accepting the myriad of feelings floating about, but Rose couldn't deny that she had considered what the future would hold for the pair.

"Please pass on the message, Rose," Draco said goodbye and flooed away.

Rose was left with her thoughts. She chewed on her lip and shifted the mandrake leaf around her mouth with her tongue. 'Poor Daphne,' she thought, 'to believe that her body was a ticking time bomb because of a curse passed on from her mother, and her mother's mother, and so on back to Aldora Gamp'. She would curse the long deceased which for creating a situation where her descendants felt forced to refrain from procreation if it weren't for the irony that the whole mess was resultant from a curse. It was a maddening cycle.

Rose was so lost in her own inner musings that she jumped when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her body. Her back was pulled flush to a warm frame and the intoxicating scent of sandalwood flooded her nostrils. A pair of lips pressed into the crook of her neck and she felt her knees go weak.

"I missed you, love," Scorpius whispered reverently.

"Welcome home, Scorp," Rose sighed and turned in his embrace. He captured her lips in a thorough snog.

Moments later (or perhaps hours since Rose had lost the concept of time) the pair separated due to the overwhelming need for air. Scorpius bent down so that his forehead rested against hers. She felt herself becoming lost in his swirling stormy grey eyes. "I'm so glad you're here".

"As am I, Rose. Now we don't have much time before we have to leave," he stated.

"Leave?" Rose asked, "Where are you going?"

" _We_ are taking a portkey in a minute. I planned something special for you tonight," Scorpius said mysteriously.

"How could you possibly have managed to plan something? Or get a portkey? Didn't you just get back?" Rose was quite curious.

Scorpius shrugged, "I had a bit of help. Your mother was more than happy to assist with the logistics. And Elena called in a favor at my request. She thought it was oh so romantic," Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked excitedly.

"Just wait and you'll see. I don't want to ruin the surprise," Scorpius said and gave her a quick peck on the lips. The portkey activated and whisked the couple away.

Rose stumbled upon landing but Scorpius steadied her by pulling her into his strong chest. "Easy there, love".

For the first time, Rose observed his appearance. He wore a well-tailored muggle style suit with a light grey shirt and a dark eggplant colored tie. His hair was disheveled in the just rolled out of bed sort of way and a thin coat of golden stubble lined his jaw. Rose felt her mouth go dry. 'Damn,' she thought, 'he looks amazing in muggle dress clothing'.

"Please stop undressing me with your eyes, love," Scorpius begged, "I've got a lovely evening planned and if you don't stop I'm going to wind up taking you here in this pub like a sex crazed maniac. I don't fancy being detained by the French police".

"We're in France?" Rose looked around. Sure enough she recognized they were standing in Apothocaire Doré, the Parisian equivalent to The Leaky Cauldron.

Scorpius nodded, "We've got to hurry up if we are going to make our reservation". He laced his fingers through Rose's and guided her out the door into Muggle Paris. After a brief walk they arrived at an elegant looking restaurant.

"Réservation?" asked the maître d.

In perfect French, Scorpius responded, "Oui Monsieur, Réservation pour Malfoy". Rose was stunned to feel her body react to the sound of the foreign language flowing off Scorpius's tongue.

"Oui Monsieur Malfoy. Chef Martinez attend votre arrivée. Votre table est ainsi". The maître d signaled to a waiter who escorted Rose and Scorpius to a quiet, secluded table at the back of the restaurant.

Once seated, Rose asked Scorpius, "Martinez?"

He chuckled, "After graduating from Ilvermorny, Elena's sister moved to Paris to study to be a chef. Her restaurant is reviewed as being a magical dining experience".

"What the no-majs don't know won't hurt them," announced a soft voice. Rose turned to find woman grinning at them. "I'm Katrina Martinez, welcome to Le Bonne Baguette".

Rose laughed at the name. What a clever play on words. Muggles would assume it simply meant bread, but magical folk would recognize the reference to their wands.

"Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice," Scorpius said.

"I'm happy to do it. When Elena contacted me to say that Scorpius Malfoy was finally taking a witch out on a date, I needed to see it for myself. It's a pleasure to meet you Rose," Katrina said.

"Likewise," Rose said.

"Unless you two have any objections, I'm going to set you up with our standard sampler menu. No allergies, right?" Katrina asked.

"No," Rose answered for the pair, "but could we avoid anything leafy tonight?" She rolled her tongue over to reveal the mandrake leaf in her mouth. "I can't risk accidentally swallowing this".

Katrina laughed, "Say no more". She gave Rose and Scorpius both pecks on the cheek and returned to the kitchen.

Moments later, a waiter arrived at their table. He poured a small amount of red wine into Scorpius's glass who swirled it around for a moment, took a small sip, and nodded. The waiter then filled both glasses and left. Rose took a large gulp and moaned loudly as the complex flavors of the vintage burst across her taste buds.

Scorpius groaned, "We've been over what your noises do to me, Rose. Please attempt to control yourself so that I don't throw you down on this table and shag you right here".

Rose blushed and took another large gulp of wine. This time she suppressed the sounds she longed to make. She grinned guiltily at Scorpius.

"You'll be the death of me," he swore.

Soon their courses began to arrival. Scorpius and Rose indulged on mussels in a spicy red sauce, scallops with a lemon beurre blanc and dill, and filet mignon with glazed vegetables. The food was beyond rich and Rose had to restrain herself from licking the plate. She was entirely convinced that she would never consume anything as incredible ever again.

During their meal, Rose filled Scorpius in on her dinner with Albus and his awkward innuendos about their new sex life. Scorpius told Rose all about his last few days in Boston. Burroughs had helped him pack up his laboratory once more and sent him off with instructions to woo Rose.

"Do you know how embarrassing it is to have your advisor tell you the proper ways to treat a lady? It was almost as awkward as when my father gave me the sex talk when I was twelve," Scorpius groused.

"Ha," barked a laugh. Katrina had returned to their table once more with stunning desserts. She held a chocolate soufflé that was nearly a foot tall and a bowl of chocolate mousse that was so airy Rose could see whole raspberries within the gaps. Desserts such as these could only be created with magic. Rose thought of how lucky the Parisian muggles who dined at the restaurant were.

"Burroughs was pretty progressive when I was at Ilvermorny. He was the head of Horned Serpent for the last few years I was there. He made sure all the fourth years and above were educated on the 'physical and mental aspects of love,'" Katrina used air quotes. "Let me tell you, it was wicked convenient to have a professor who understood that students are a horny bunch. He brewed up vats of contraceptive potion and would give it out to anyone, no questions asked. He and Professor Hill were the only heads who were cool about it. The others would just preach abstinence and be thoroughly useless if someone asked a question," Katrina remembered.

"Yeah, he had me brewing anti-sexual disease potions the first month I got there," Scorpius said and turned to Rose, "There was a strain of magical syphilis flying around Pukwudgie. Their head was adamant about ignoring the symptoms. It's pretty naïve to think that a bunch of teenagers cooped up together aren't going to have a few careless romps in the broom cupboards".

"I'm glad Burroughs helped them out then," Rose said. Her eyes drifted to the mountainous desserts before them. Despite having stuffed herself already, Rose's stomach growled for the sweet treats.

Katrina noticed how Rose's attention had been diverted and chuckled. She handed both Rose and Scorpius a spoon and with another cheek kiss bid them au revoir. Scorpius dug his spoon into the chocolate mousse and held it out for Rose. She wrapped her lips around the chocolate goodness and sighed. "Oh my Merlin, Scorp you've got to try this!" she exclaimed.

He smirked at her and said, "Gladly". He leaned across the table and captured her lips in a searing kiss. His tongue probed her mouth and she lost herself. He pulled back and licked his lips, "Delicious".

Fire ignited within Rose. She felt as though she might burst into flames at any moment. To distract herself, she dug her spoon into the soufflé and took a large bite. She swallowed hard and tried to calm the rage within.

The pair quickly polished off their desserts, paid the tab, and exited back to muggle Paris. Scorpius suggested they stroll along the Champs Elysee and Rose agreed.

"Thank you for tonight, Scorp," Rose said as they walked hand in hand.

"Anything for you, love," he said as he pressed a kiss to her hair.

The couple fell into a comfortable silence as they walked. Suddenly, Rose remembered her earlier conversation with Draco. "Oh, I almost forgot. Your father popped by my place earlier today with a message for you. He asked that you check in with your Aunt Daphne soon. She concerned about the curse taking affect even if she doesn't have children".

Scorpius scowled, "This blasted curse. I don't think that's the way it works since she has hasn't exhibited any signs or symptoms yet. My mother didn't show anything until after I was born. It's been the same way with all the women in her line".

The word 'women' caught Rose's attention. "Wait Scorpius, has it only been women who have the curse?"

"Until me, yes. Aldora gave it to her daughter, who gave it to her daughter, and so forth until my mother had me," he said with a perplexed look.

The cogs in Rose's mind were spinning at lightning speed. "What if only women can be affected?"

"That's not true, Rose. I've tested my blood. It's the same as Aunt Daph's. I'm a carrier," Scorpius said sadly.

"But you're a man," Rose said.

"Well spotted, love," Scorpius quipped with an eye roll. She whacked him on the chest.

"Listen to me, you prat. You're a man. The first male in the line with the curse. What if you can't pass it on?" Rose asked.

"How could that be possible? It's in my blood," Scorpius was curious now.

"You told me that mitochondria generates specific magical affinities and traits. What if its curses too?"

Realization dawned on Scorpius as he absorbed what Rose was proposing. "I don't know, Rose. I'd never considered that. Children have the mitochondrial DNA of their mother, but not their father. It's possible". Rose could see a glimmer of hope spark in Scorpius's eyes. "I need to test that as soon as I can. This could be it!" he exclaimed. He pulled Rose to him and gave her a kiss that took her breath away.

"How can you test it?" Rose asked.

"I'll have to examine a sample of my sperm to see the curse is present. Then we'll know," Scorpius was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Maybe I can help with that?" Rose said with a smirk.

Scorpius's eyebrow arched. "And how would you go about doing that?" he asked.

"I'm thinking my lips and tongue could be useful in procuring the sample," she said cheekily.

He groaned and gripped her body close, "You naughty wench". He pulled her into a deserted alleyway and activated the return portkey. In an instant, they landed in her flat in a flurry of discarded clothing.

* * *

-AN I do not speak French so I apologize if my attempts at translation are off.

Réservation = Reservation

Oui Monsieur, Réservation pour Malfoy = Yes Sir. Reservation for Malfoy.

Oui Monsieur Malfoy. Chef Martinez attend votre arrivée. Votre table est ainsi = Yes, Mr. Malfoy. Chef Martinez is expecting you. Your table is this way


	18. Chapter 18

Over the next few weeks Rose and Scorpius found themselves stretched pretty thin with work and other responsibilities. Rose was swamped with paperwork for her impending transformation. She complained loudly about the need for such stringent regulation but was silenced by her mother. Hermione loved to point out that while some unregistered animagus only had redeeming reasons for keeping silent, some, like Rita Skeeter, used their unknown abilities for unethical activity. Hermione had never quite gotten over the negative attacks she endured as a teenager due to Rita Skeeter's brand of journalism.

Scorpius had teamed up with a muggle geneticist to assist in coding the genetic material in his sperm. Somehow he had managed to pose the problem in a way that would not violate the Statute of Secrecy or require the unsuspecting muggle scientist to have to be Obliviated. Rose couldn't help but be impressed with Scorpius's slippery Slytherin tongue in crafting a tale that was not only muggle appropriate but entirely honest. She was impressed with his tongue for other things of course, just as he was hers.

Her initial plan for extracting the specimen had to be scrapped. As much as she wanted to pleasure Scorpius in that way, she wasn't willing to risk contaminating the Mandrake leaf. Instead they had fallen into bed that evening and engaged in several rounds of hot, fast shagging. Rose sported some light bruising on her inner thighs from his pistoning hips that she wore like a badge of honor. Scorpius, of course, had freaked out about injuring Rose but she refused to let him feel remorse. She certainly didn't after the copious number of orgasms he had given her.

Rose did assist Scorpius in producing a sperm sample. He very much enjoyed the lingerie she had worn under her dress the night of his return. The next day, she went on a shopping spree and bought several new sets and some daring and risqué corsets, nighties, and baby dolls. Scorpius had enjoyed wanking at the sight of her impromptu fashion show that evening.

Since then, Scorpius had been almost living in the laboratory. He'd return home to Rose late in the evening and regale her with tales of his progress.

"Did you know all my little swimmers were male?" he asked one night over a cup of tea.

Rose sputtered and choked on the biscuit she had just placed in her mouth, "Excuse me?"

"Well not all, that's an exaggeration. It's about the 98% though," Scorpius said. "Dr. Johnson was amazed". The muggle geneticist that Scorpius was working with was named Peter Johnson, and the humor was not lost on Rose that a man named after two slang terms for a penis would become an expert in sperm.

"That's so weird," Rose said, "Do you think it's a Malfoy thing?"

"It must be," he replied. "A child's sex is determined by the father's sperm. It's been about 300 years since there's been a female born into the Malfoy line. I never gave it much thought before since most of my ancestors were only children. Or if there were girls, I wouldn't have but it past my family to kill them off and erase them from the family tree. For so long the only thing that mattered was producing a male heir to carry on the name". He shook his head. "I'm trying to not get my hopes up, but sometimes I let myself daydream about what my child would be like".

"Do you only want one child?" Rose asked.

Scorpius shook his head, "No, it was always lonely growing up as an only child. I believe my parents would have tried for more if my mother hadn't been affected by the curse. If I do have children, I want maybe two or three. Of course, it's up to you too".

"Me?" Rose asked.

He rolled his eyes and gave her a peck on the nose, "Yes you. There's no one else I'd ever want to have children with. Can you imagine it? A child with strawberry blonde ringlets and silver eyes?"

Rose remembered the time in St. Mungo's after Christmas when Scorpius had snuck her down to see baby Philippe. She had a flash of the very child he was describing now. Even before Rose had understood her feelings towards Scorpius, she was already picturing her children with him. No wonder everyone saw it before she did. It had been blatantly obvious. "I've pictured it before".

"We still don't know if it's possible or not. Your theory could still be wrong and then we are back to square one," Scorpius said sadly and look away.

Rose hooked a finger under his chin so that she could raise his head to force eye contact. She stared into his silver orbs and said, "If having children of our own isn't an option, we've got other choices".

"I thought you told Burroughs it was too early to be discussing things like that?" Scorpius asked.

Rose laughed, "Well everything about our relationship has moved at warp speed so far. There are plenty of children who are born to muggle parents that are given up for adoption at their first sign of accidental magic".

"Can you imagine the look on my grandfather's face when we tell him he has muggle-born grandchild to carry on the Malfoy name?" Scorpius grinned gleefully. "It'll give him the kick in the arse he so rightfully deserves".

Rose giggled and stretched. "Sorry Scorp, but I've got to say the chant now. Can you refrain from mocking me this time?"

"I never mocked you for that, love," Scorpius said.

"Oh really? I remember you always had to point out the way I slurred the words around the leaf when we were in seventh year," Rose pointed out.

Scorpius smirked, "That's because I was a stupid teenager. When you said the chant back then, you poked your tongue out of your mouth and ran in along your bottom lip. You have no idea how much I wanted to capture your lips and play with that little pink tongue. Rather than admit that then, I thought the best course of action was to poke fun at you".

Rose chuckled, "Ridiculous". She swirled the Mandrake leaf around her tongue and recited, "Amato Animo Animato Animagus".

Scorpius groaned, "There goes that tongue again. But this time, I can do something about it," and he pressed her back onto the bed.

* * *

Rose was busy at work brewing her animagus potion. She was relieved that the Mandrake leaf was no longer under her tongue. She celebrated by eating a leafy, green salad that was roughly the size of her head. Scorpius had laughed at the voracity with which she attacked the salad, but she quickly silenced him with a glare. Rose had been a bit peeved at him for a few days afterwards but eventually accepted his sincere apology. His apologies turned to moans of thanks when she showed him what others things her new, more mobile tongue was capable of.

Suddenly, a stack of mail popped onto her desk. Magical flying paper airplanes were still utilized for small memos. Larger mail arrived to the ministry mail room via owl where it was sorted and transported to the recipient's office once a day. Rose quickly shifted through her mail. Flyers for renewing a Witch Weekly subscription and wand repair were quickly binned. She wished wizarding mail had a spam filter the way that muggle email did.

She spotted a small white envelope and slit it open. The Annual Remembrance Day Ball was just over a month away. She added purchasing new dress robes to her mental calendar. She wished that she could wear the dress from Roxie's wedding to the event, but it was too much of a faux pas to wear the same dress at an occasion with so many of the same attendees. Rose thought about how lucky wizards were to be able to wear the same dress robes again and again without starting an uproar.

Rose filed the invitation and turned to her remaining mail. She was confused when she spotted an envelope with the Oagadou seal. Professor Faso and Rose typically communicated more directly to preserve the secret nature of her work. Rose slit open the envelope and smiled when she saw that it was a letter for Mr. Adero.

He was inquiring about an internship that summer with the British Ministry. He made it quite clear that he was not interested in Rose's field; he had enough of animagus work to last a lifetime. He said he read about her family's role in the war and hoped that she might be able to help with get an internship with the Auror department. Rose was typically put off when people tried to use her to get to her family, but she felt that this boy was genuine. He'd helped her out and she was happy to return the favor. She dipped her quill in ink and began to write a quick note to Uncle Harry.

Her concentration was interrupted when her door smashed open. Before Rose could even look up, she was swept out of her chair.

"We did it, love!" Scorpius triumphed. He spun her around in his arms as she giggled. He held her so that her feet dangled several centimeters off the ground and crushed his lips to hers.

"Hhmmhmm," a voice cleared from the doorway. Scorpius dropped Rose to the ground and the pair wheeled around to see three wands pointed at them.

"Everything OK, Rose?" Harry Potter asked.

"I think so, right Scorp?" Rose responded.

Scorpius beamed, "Everything is perfect. We did it, Rose!"

Harry gave the other aurors the order to lower their wands and retreat, "We got an alert that an unauthorized person had entered the Department of Mysteries. I'm guessing Scorpius rushed in here without clearing security first".

Scorpius looked a little sheepish, "Sorry Harry. I just couldn't wait to get to Rose. It won't happen again," he promised.

"It better not," Harry grumbled, "you're lucky I recognized you, Scorpius. Otherwise you'd probably be in a world of hurt right now. An intruder throwing my favorite niece around the room".

"So I'm your favorite, huh Uncle Harry?" Rose asked.

He laughed, "Just don't tell the others!" and left to return to his office with the crisis averted.

Rose looked at Scorpius questioningly. "What happened, Scorp?"

"You were right, Rose. I can't pass on the curse," he whispered as though he still didn't completely believe it.

Rose squealed and threw herself into his arms. He caught her easily and twirled her once more. Rose could see the jubilation sparkling in his eyes. They laughed with absolute abandon but stopped when they became dizzy.

As the world came into focus once more, Rose asked, "Can you explain it to me?"

"It was just like you thought, love. The curse must be tied to mitochondrial DNA. It's in my blood because I carry my mother's mitochondrial DNA. But it's not in my sperm to pass on to a child. Do you know what this means?" Scorpius asked.

"You can have children," Rose replied.

" _We_ can have children," he retorted and pressed a brief kiss to her lips. "When the time is right of course, we can have children of our own".

Rose sobered for a moment, "What about your aunt Daphne?"

Scorpius fell silent, "It's terrible to say, but I had forgotten about her for a moment in my excitement. I suppose nothing has changed for her. I'll have to test her eggs, but I'm pretty sure I'll find the curse there".

"Sorry to ruin the good mood," Rose said.

"No, it's alright, love. Now that I know where the curse is, I can work on targeting a way to treat her. She won't have to worry about the curse unless she has children. It can't kill until it is passed on first," he noted.

"Maybe I can work with you? I don't know much about healing and I'm not sure what I'll be able to contribute, but I'm willing to listen and talk through ideas with you," Rose suggested.

"Don't sell yourself short, Rose. You're the one who cracked the mitochondrial link," he gave her a quick kiss. "I've got to go tell my father what I've discovered, but I want to take you out tonight to celebrate. Are you up for that?"

"Come by my place at 7," Rose said, "say hi to Draco for me". She pulled him in for one last kiss before shoving him out the door. She returned to her desk and resume writing the note to Uncle Harry with a small smile gracing her face.

* * *

A week later found Scorpius once again in Rose's office in the Department of Mysteries. The last week had been a whirlwind of activity. Scorpius had met with Daphne to discuss his findings. He told Rose that Daphne was happy for her nephew but could barely conceal her own pain. He promised her that he would work tirelessly on ending the curse. Daphne suggested that maybe it was best that she was alone and it nearly broke Scorpius's heart to hear her being so defeatist.

She did agree to allow Dr. Johnson to extract a few eggs to test. According to Scorpius, the needle they had used was about 15 centimeters long and would have caused Rose to faint. Rose felt guilty for looking forward to her own future with Scorpius when the curse still hung like a black cloud of despair over Daphne. They spent most evenings discussing possible methods of treatment.

Tonight, however was different. Rose's animagus potion had finished brewing and she invited Scorpius and Professor Faso to watch her transformation. Rose was still mentally scarred from the horrifying sight of Mr. Adero in the hospital bed, and wanted to have people on hand who could assist her if anything went wrong.

"Now, Rose," Faso instructed, "the potion is foul tasting but you have to consume it all".

Rose glanced at the murky blue liquid with tried to steel her stomach. "I'm ready," she said and downed the potion in a solid stream. She fought off the urge to regurgitate the potion and locked eyes with Scorpius.

The last thing she saw as the world twisted was a look of sheer terror on his face before her vision was obscured by thick black smoke.

* * *

-AN Again, I am not well versed in genetics. If I made a mistake on the science, please just go with it. Thanks for reading! Any guesses what's going on with Rose's animagus transformation?


	19. Chapter 19

-AN All rights reserved to JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, Scholastic, and Warner Brothers. Thanks for your reviews. I was happy to see one of you guessed correctly. Enjoy!

* * *

Once the world stopped spinning, Rose risked opening an eye. Her vision was strangely sharp but she could see nothing but black and grey. She heard muffled voices calling.

"ROSE! What happened?! We've got to help her!" announced a panic voice.

"Just wait a moment. I think I understand what has occurred," came a second calmer voice. "Rose, if I may, I'm going to brush some of this ash away".

Suddenly, Rose's view cleared as she felt a gentle hand pass over her body. Professor Faso came into sharp focus now. Rose tried to thank the woman but could only emit small squeaks.

"How?" questioned Scorpius from over Professor Faso's shoulder, "How is this possible?"

"It's exceedingly rare, but I always believed that this was a possibility. Rose, if you could shift back into your natural form I'd appreciate it. We have much to discuss," Professor Faso stated.

Rose obliged and in an instant was sitting on the floor as a human once more. Scorpius crushed her into his embrace, "You scared me, love. I thought something had gone wrong and I'd lost you forever".

"What did happen?" Rose asked, "In all my research I've never heard about a transformation like that. I felt like I was burning up but that it was so pleasurable".

"I suspect it would feel like that. You were just born from fire and ash," Professor Faso said while studying Rose was a calculating eye. "You, my dear, are a phoenix".

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Rose. "That's not possible. People cannot have magical creatures for their animagi form".

"Clearly they can, because we just witnessed it," Professor Faso said gently. She had helped many students transform and knew that a calming voice was needed to soothe the new animagus' nerves.

"But the wizard at the symposium died when he tried to change into a magical creature," Rose argued.

"That may be so, but you are in fact a phoenix. You'd know more about it with all your research Rose, but I always theorized that it may be possible. After all it's possible for a person's patronus to be a magical creature. Rare, but possible," Professor Faso concluded.

Rose remembered her parents' stories about Albus Dumbledore and his phoenix, Fawkes. Dumbledore's patronus had been a phoenix as well. An errant thought plagued Rose. Uncle Harry had told them a story about seeing Fawkes burst into flames and being reborn. "Do you suppose I'll emerge from ashes every time I transform? I felt quite weak like that".

Professor Faso smiled, "I suspect not. Have a bite of chocolate to build your strength back up and try to shift again now".

Rose concentrated on finding her inner phoenix and once again felt the world twist. This time, when she opened her eyes, she could see clearly.

"Oh My Merlin," Scorpius whispered. "Rose, love, you've got to see this". He conjured a mirror and placed it before Rose.

Rose was stunned. She stretched her wings to examine the scarlet plumage. Her same sparkling blue eyes stared back at her in the mirror. She flexed her golden talons and stood to her full height. The crown of her head was covered by vibrant crimson feathers that curled at the ends just as her own hair did. She slowly flapped her wings and was propelled off the ground with incredible force. She immediately crashed into a table.

"Easy there, love," said Scorpius with a chuckle, "Maybe we should save the flying lessons until you're out in an open field". Rose nodded her head in agreement and transformed back into her human form.

Rose laughed, "Well I'm hardly inconspicuous. I had originally sought to become an animagus to assist the Aurors on undercover missions. But I do stick out as a large, red bird with a propensity for bursting into flames". She turned to Professor Faso, "Do you think I need to worry about that?"

Professor Faso shrugged, "I have no idea, Rose. I'm sorry. Perhaps you should consult an expert on phoenixes".

Rose grinned, "I suppose we'll just have to pay Newt a visit then. I'm sure he'll be pleased to see us again".

* * *

Over the next few days, Rose and Scorpius lived in a bubble of isolation. She decided not to tell the rest of her family about her inner phoenix until she had spoken with Newt and had a greater understanding.

Rose practiced shifting several times and each time transformed into an adult phoenix. She allowed Scorpius to stroke her feathers; they discovered that she loved to be tickled under her beak as a phoenix. She felt a bit embarrassed when he asked to look to see if she had tail feathers since he'd essentially be staring at her arse. However, when he argued that she had no problem with him doing so in her human form she acquiesced. Apparently, she possessed two feathers that he thought could be used as the core of magical wands.

Finally the afternoon of her meeting with Newt arrived. Scorpius had wanted to come with her, but Daphne had asked him over for the same time. Rose insisted he spend time with his aunt and promised that she'd fill him in on what she learned from the esteemed magizoologist.

She apparated over to the Scamander's house and knocked on the door.

"Rose!" said Luna Lovegood-Scamander. "Come in, come in. We've been expecting you!"

"Aunt Luna! I didn't know you'd be here," Rose said and gave her honorary aunt a squeeze.

"Newt asked me to come. I hope you don't mind," Luna said.

"No, not at all. Just promise to keep this under wraps for a little while at least until I can tell my parents, alright?" Rose asked.

"Of course. Now come this way. Newt is in the back garden with the kneazles," Luna led Rose through the unusual cottage and into an exotic garden. Newt Scamander was seated on a porch swing with a trio of enormous kneazles surrounding him.

"Rose, how are you, my dear?" he asked.

"I'm well, Newt. I have a few questions for you about magical creatures. Phoenixes to be precise," Rose said.

"Yes, yes. Unfortunately I don't know all that much about phoenixes. They are magnificent beasts, but extremely hard to track down. I've only been able to study a dozen over the course of my career. They're mostly native to Egypt, India and China. Some muggles there worship the mythical phoenix. Phoenixes live to an extraordinary age because they can regenerate from ashes when their old body begins to fail. It's quite something to behold the rebirth of a phoenix. Why the sudden interest, Rose?" Newt asked.

Rose stood, "I'll show you, but please do not tell anyone," she waited until both Luna and Newt nodded in agreement. Rose concentrated on finding her inner magical core and once more transformed.

"Would you look at that!" Newt hooted. "You're an animagus?" Rose nodded her head. "May I?" Newt asked and gestured his hand in a petting motion. Rose shrugged and nodded again. Newt carefully and gently ran his hand along her elongated wings. "How extraordinary!" He crouched down beside her and shoved his face so that his eyes were only inches away from her sharp beak. "This is incredible".

Rose allowed him to inspect her for a few minutes, but when his perusal venture back towards her tail feathers she squawked and stepped away. She may have agreed to let Scorpius check her out, but she didn't want Newt touching her arse.

"My apologies for being too forward, Rose," Newt said and Rose nodded in acceptance. She transformed back into a human.

"How long have you known you were a phoenix?" Luna asked.

Rose sighed, "Just a few days. I tried to become an animagus back at Hogwarts, but for various reasons I was unsuccessful then. My first transformation was a few days ago in front of Scorpius and a transfiguration professor with knowledge and experience with animagi".

Newt's eyes glittered with mischief, "How is young Mr. Malfoy?"

Rose blushed beet red. "He's doing well. I suppose I owe you thanks for finally giving me the push I needed".

"No thanks needed for that, my dear," Newt said sagely. "The more love there is in the world, the better it is for everyone".

"I told Lorcan that you weren't bitten by nargles at Lysander's wedding," Luna recalled, "but he insisted that was the only explanation for your behavior there".

Rose smiled at her eccentric aunt. She loved the woman dearly, but sometimes she could be a bit crazy. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose caught Newt rolling his eyes affectionately at this granddaughter-in-law.

"Can you tell me anything else about phoenixes?" Rose asked and redirected the conversation away from nargles and other imaginary creatures.

"Just that their song is wondrous to hear," Newt said. "The melody can strengthen the resolve of the pure of heart or strike fear into those whose hearts are unworthy. Phoenix tears have healing properties, but they have not been studied at length. I have never seen a phoenix cry and the tears are not commercially available due to the rarity of phoenixes. I'm sorry that I don't know more".

"That's quite alright, Newt," Rose said. "I think I know someone who might". She thanked him for his help and agreed to come over again so that he could observe her so long as he promised to stay away from her tail. He laughing agreed and she apparated away.

* * *

"UNCLE HARRY!" Rose called from the foyer of the Godric's Hollow house.

"You bellowed?" he responded with a smile as he entered the room, "I'm sorry but Lily isn't in right now. I think she's still at St. Mungo's working a double".

Rose gave her uncle a hug, "It's actually you that I came to see".

"Oh? To what do I owe this honor?" Harry said.

"Can you please tell me about The Chamber of Secrets again?" Rose asked.

Harry scowled, "You know I don't like talking about that Rose".

"I know and I wouldn't ask unless it was very important. What happened with Fawkes after you were bitten by the basilisk?" Rose pleaded.

"Why do you need to know?" he asked.

"Please just trust me. I'll tell you soon enough but I need to know what happened," Rose rushed.

Harry observed Rose for a moment before nodding his head. "Fawkes appeared in the Chamber when I was fighting the basilisk. He brought me the sorting hat and the Sword of Gryffindor. Unfortunately, when I stabbed the basilisk, it bit into my arm. After I defeated the basilisk and stabbed the diary with the fang, the venom took effect. I would have died if it weren't for Fawkes. He cried into my wound and erased the effect of the basilisk's venom".

Rose could barely contain her excitement, "Do you know how that worked?"

"Not really," Harry shrugged, "Dumbledore's theory is that a phoenix's tear has the power to purify deadly substances from the body. He thinks that the tear counteracted the poison in my blood".

Rose launched herself at Harry. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried.

"You're welcome. But what are you thanking me for?" he asked.

Rose smiled broadly, "I'll tell you soon! Bye Uncle Harry!"

He smiled at his niece's bizarre behavior and waved goodbye. With a pop she apparated straight to Daphne Greengrass's house. She knocked on the door and was met by a male house-elf.

"May Morky help you?" the elf asked.

"Is Scorpius Malfoy here?" Rose said quickly.

"Yes, Mister Malfoy is with Mistress Daphne. Come with me please," the elf beckoned and Rose fell into step behind Morky. He led her to a parlor where Scorpius and Daphne were having tea.

Before Morky could announce her presence Rose exclaimed, "I figured it out!"

"Figured what out?" Daphne Greengrass asked with a trace of annoyance at the sudden intrusion.

"Phoenix tears have healing powers!" Rose cried.

Daphne arched her eyebrow, "Why is that relevant?"

Scorpius, however, was quick to catch on, "You don't think? Do you?"

"I just spoke to Uncle Harry. He told me about how Fawkes saved him for the basilisk venom. It could work!" she said. In an instant, Scorpius had scooped her into his arms and was snogging her.

"Sorry to interrupt," said Daphne who did not look the least bit sorry, "But can someone explain to me what's going on?"

"Rose thinks she can cure us, Aunt Daph!" Scorpius said with a jubilant laugh.

"How?!" Daphne said and clutched at her chest.

"Come with me to my lab, we'll see if it works," Scorpius hurriedly replied. The trio quickly flooed to St. Mungo's and rushed to his lab. He turned to his aunt and said, "Please don't tell anyone about this," and nodded to Rose.

Daphne gave Rose a confused look which quickly turned to awe as Rose transformed into a phoenix.

"We'll need some fresh blood," Scorpius stated. He draw his wand along his palm and sliced it open. He allowed a few drops of blood to fall into a waiting glass vials before healing the wound.

Rose perched on the counter and leaned over the vial. She summoned all of her empathy and compassion into a single tear which fell into the glass.

Scorpius quickly swirled the vial to combine the tear with the blood. Rose transformed back into her human form and stood beside Daphne to watch Scorpius work. Daphne eyed Rose in amazement.

Scorpius explained, "I've just got to code this sample to see if the curse mutation is still there". He waved his wand and a scroll of genetic code began to write itself. He quickly examined the scroll and whispered, "it's negative".

Daphne's shoulder hunched, "Negative? It didn't work?" tears began to well up in her eyes.

"It's negative," the corners of Scorpius's mouth began to upturn, "the mutation is gone. This is the cure!" he cried and excitedly jumped up and down. Rose could feel tears streaming down her own face as she saw a great weight being lifted from his shoulders.

All of a sudden, Rose heard a thud. She looked around and discovered that Daphne Greengrass was on the floor unconscious. The poor woman had fainted.

* * *

-AN2 Newt's explanation of a phoenix comes from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2017) by Newt Scamander (aka JK Rowling) Arthur A. Levine Books. It's a very fun (and quick) read.


	20. Chapter 20

"How are you feeling, Aunt Daph?" Scorpius asked.

Weeks passed since Rose's phoenix tears eradicated the curse in the small sample of Scorpius's blood. Curing an entire person was a much more labor intensive process. Scorpius devised a machine that was similar to muggle kidney dialysis. Blood could be circulated out of the body and passed through a swirling magical vortex containing phoenix tears. The process was extremely painful and had to be repeated every day to combat the regenerating blood cells.

Scorpius and Daphne sat in reclining seats while phoenix Rose perched on a table between them.

"I'm fine, Scorpius," Daphne smiled weakly. "Just a bit parched".

Hermione jumped into action, "Here," she conjured a glass and poured some pumpkin juice. "The sugars in this should help you out".

Daphne gladly accepted the glass and took a few large gulps. A moment later, she let loose an extremely loud belch.

"Impressive, Daph," Draco smirked.

When Scorpius had devised the healing scheme, he realized that he'd need another person to help administer the phoenix tears while he was incapacitated in a chair. Draco, as one of the few people privy to details on the curse, was the logical choice. Daphne quickly agreed to having her brother-in-law assist. Hermione insisted that it was her responsibility as Minister of Magic to be present for a new experiment in medical healing. However, everyone involved knew that it was just a flimsy excuse to sate her unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

When Rose had revealed her animagus status to her family over Easter dinner at the Burrow, their reactions had been extremely varied. Harry had given her a knowing smile, finally understanding the relevance of her questions from a few weeks before. Grandma Molly had fretted about Rose's feathers falling into the Easter feast. Ginny's mouth had dropped open in shock. Ron had asked "Where'd Rose go?!" and received a smack on the back of his head from his wife. And James, without missing a beat, had offered a biscuit to Rose asking, "Rosie want a cracker?" Rose gave him a nice bite with her sharpened beak for treating her like a muggle parrot.

Hermione had sat silent for a few moments. She waited until Rose shifted back into her human form before bombarding her with questions. Hermione's brilliant mind churned out so many queries that no one else could get a word in edgewise. Rose had to agree to meet her mother for tea the following day to answer any question she could come up with before she was allowed to leave the Burrow that evening.

Rose told her mother about her first transformation, her meetings with Newt Scamander and Uncle Harry, and finally the curse that plagued Scorpius and Daphne. Scorpius had given Rose permission to share the history of the curse with Hermione. When Rose told Hermione that her phoenix tears could repair the damage that the curse caused, Hermione was stunned. She demanded that she be present for the treatments "for legal purposes".

When she showed up at St. Mungo's before the first treatment, she warmly greeted Scorpius and Daphne. Draco had arrived a minute later and upon spotting Hermione rolled his eyes and quipped, "Of course you'd be here, Granger".

"Yes, well, it is my responsibility as Minister of Magic to oversee untested healing experiments. Now can we get started?" Hermione asked.

Draco smirked and said, "Bossy, bossy, bossy. Whatever you say, Minister".

Now, Scorpius and Daphne drifted off to sleep. Rose pretended to doze off but instead observed her mother and Draco make small talk as they waited for the treatment to finish.

"I can't imagine the hell you must have gone through, Draco," Hermione sadly noted. "To lose your wife to this viscous curse and know it could take your child as well. And to have a large percentage of the wizarding world believe that your child was actually Voldemort's. How did you cope?"

"For years I believed that this was my penance for my stupidity as a child," Draco sighed, "I…

"That's not true at all," Hermione interrupted. Draco shot her an annoyed look and she mumbled, "sorry".

"As I was saying, I believed that to be true. I don't anymore. I loved my wife and though our time was cut short due to the curse, I wouldn't trade it over anything. She gave me Scorpius," Draco smiled at his son's sleeping form fondly.

"You must be very proud of the man he has become," Hermione said.

"I am. He's so much like Astoria. Fair, loving, and self-less. If it weren't for his stubborn streak and the fact that he looks like my clone, I might have believed he inherited nothing from me," he said.

"Rose is just as stubborn. She gets it from Ron," Hermione said.

"Yes, because you aren't stubborn at all?" Draco sarcastically asked.

"That's beside the point," Hermione argued good-naturedly. "I've never seen Rose as happy as she has been since she returned from America. He's good for her".

"And she's good for him. Do you know that she was the one to figure out that he couldn't pass on the curse?" Draco asked.

"NO! She didn't tell me that," Hermione said with a friendly glare at her daughter.

Draco chuckled, "That's why she was a Gryffindor. If she had been a Slytherin, she'd have been bragging about it".

"I don't know about that. Your son was a Slytherin after all and he's relatively humble," Hermione laughed.

"I told you, he takes after Astoria. She was a Hufflepuff," Draco said. The pair laughed for a few minutes. "I can't begin to thank your daughter for what she's doing for Scorpius and Daphne".

"She'd help anyone who needed it, that's just who Rose is. It was very lucky that her animagus form was a phoenix," Hermione said.

"Lucks got nothing to do with it. You and I both know that this was fate," Draco stated emphatically.

"We make our own fate," Hermione argued.

"Multiple prophecies, a bloody great war, and a couple of trips through time and you still believe that your lives aren't ruled by fate? OK," Draco drawled.

Hermione laughed openly but tried to keep quiet so as not to wake the others in the room, "It's much more fun arguing with you than it is with Ron or Harry. They just agree with whatever I say at this point".

"You did always like to be right," Draco pointed out.

"That's true," Hermione said with a grin. As much as Rose was enjoying the banter, she found herself being drawn into the comfort of sleep.

Hours later, Rose was woken by soft touches on the crown of her head.

"We're done for the day, love," Scorpius whispered.

Rose transformed back into her human form. She blinked the sleep away from her eyes and scanned the room. Hermione was bent over Daphne's abdomen and Draco was nowhere to be seen. She looked at Scorpius questioning and opened her mouth.

"Dad's gone out in the hall to give Aunt Daph some privacy while your Mum extracts a few eggs," he preempted her question. Rose glanced over at the pair of witches once more and spotted a large needle entering Daphne's skin. Her eyes rolled up and she felt faint. "Easy there, love. Don't look".

Rose closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths. A minute later she dared to open her eyes again. Scorpius had left her side and was now casting a spell over Daphne's egg in the small glass dish. Once more, a small white scroll was quickly writing itself with genetic code.

Scorpius scanned the code and walked over to Daphne's chair. He produced a second scroll from his pocket and handed them both to Daphne.

"What am I looking at?" Daphne asked quietly.

"This," he pointed at the scroll he had drawn from his pocket, "was the analysis of your eggs from when Dr. Johnson harvested one. And that," he pointed at the other scroll, "is today. Compare the highlighted region".

"It's different," Daphne whispered.

"The curse is gone," Scorpius said as his face broke into a wide smile.

"It's gone?" Daphne said as her eyes welled up with tears. She screamed and pulled her nephew into a bone crushing hug.

Rose felt her mother appear beside her and glanced sideways. Hermione had silent tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched the joyful pair across the room. Mother and daughter observed Scorpius and Daphne until Daphne finally released Scorpius.

"I've got to go talk with Dad for a minute. Why don't you get freshened up and we'll go out and celebrate," Scorpius suggested. Daphne agreed and Scorpius swept out of the room.

"Rose?" Daphne called.

Rose approached the witch slowly, "Yes Daphne?"

Daphne laid her hand on Rose's shoulder, "Thank you," she said as she choked back sobs. She dissolved in tears and Rose supported the woman.

Once Daphne had once again calmed down, Hermione took her over to the bathroom to clean up. They emerged minutes later. Daphne, who had been wearing a hospital gown and had her long black hair in a messy bun, was now stunning. Hermione had transfigured her hospital garb into a green sundress and matching flats. Her hair was styled in delicate waves that flowed over one shoulder and her face had a light, airy layer of makeup.

A knock sounded on the door. "That must be Scorpius and Draco," Daphne said. She called, "Come in!"

The man who entered the room, however, was not a Malfoy.

"Daphne," breathed Blaise Zabini.

"Blaise? What are you doing here?" Daphne asked quietly.

"Draco just called me. He said that you needed help," he said.

"Weren't you in Italy?" Daphne wondered.

"Yes. But he said you needed help, and nothing was going to stop me from getting to you".

"Oh Blaise," Daphne started to cry.

He walked slowly until he stood before the weeping witch, "What's wrong, love?"

"Everything is so complicated," she said, "I thought I had no future and now that's not the case. I pushed you away so I wouldn't hurt you".

"What are you trying to say, Daphne? You aren't making sense," Blaise tried to keep up with the blubbering woman.

"The curse is gone," Daphne whispered, "Scorpius and Rose cured me".

Blaise's eyes bulged and he whipped his head around to find Scorpius and Draco leaning on opposite sides of the doorway. Scorpius nodded in confirmation and Draco smirked.

"Why is it complicated then? Seems pretty straightforward to me," Blaise said.

Daphne huffed, "I pushed you away because of the curse. I didn't want you to throw your life away on me when we couldn't have a future together".

'Hmmm,' Rose thought, 'so self-sacrifice and making assumptions for their partners was a trait that Scorpius got from both branches of his family'.

"Just being with you was enough, Daph," Blaise stated.

"I buggered it all up and pushed you away," Daphne sniffled.

"Well that can be quickly remedied," Blaise said with a smile. Daphne cocked her head in confusion for a moment before her jaw dropped open. Blaise Zabini dropped to a knee and grabbed Daphne's left hand. He pressed a kiss to her fourth finger and said, "Daphne Greengrass, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife…. again?" he cheekily added.

Daphne squealed and knelt down in front of Blaise to snog him senseless.

"I guess that's a yes then," said Draco sarcastically. Blaise raised an arm to flip him off and the other four people in the room laughed.

Rose turned to her mother, "Did you know that Draco was going to contact Blaise?"

"Yeah, we cooked up the plan a week ago when treatments were going so well. It was my job to get Daphne all dolled up while Draco called Blaise,"

Rose shook her head and grinned, "You two are a dangerous, meddlesome pair".

* * *

Four days later, Rose arrived at the Zabini estate. Daphne and Blaise had decided that there was no need to wait and plan an extravagant wedding. They had done that the first time around and just wanted to get married as quickly as possible. Hermione, in her ministerial capacity, was happy to push through all the required paperwork at lightning speed.

Daphne and Blaise chose to have a small wedding with only close friends and family in attendance. Blaise asked Draco and Scorpius to stand up for him and Daphne was insistent that Rose be one of her bridesmaids. Draco would be paired with Tracey Davis, a fellow Slytherin from his Hogwarts days, and Scorpius would escort Rose down the aisle.

Due to the limited time, Daphne asked Rose and Tracey to wear whatever dresses they liked and just charm them kelly green. Rose excitedly unearthed her dress from Roxanne's wedding and altered the color. The new hue was more appropriate for the change in season and the Slytherin wedding. Rose twisted her into a half up-do and applied a bit of Sleekeazy's potion to make the ends into silky curls. She once again, left her neck bare and wore only small diamond studs in her ears.

"Rose!" Hermione huffed, "what took you so long?" Hermione had been asked to perform the binding ceremony and had therefore arrived hours earlier to set up.

"I overslept," Rose admitted.

"Ah, so that would explain Scorpius's recent arrival too," Hermione said and rolled her eyes. "Hurry up, the wedding party is lining up".

Rose followed her mother down the twisting halls of the Zabini estate until they arrived at the door to the rose garden. Daphne gave Rose a hug and Tracey gave her a quick nod and handed her a small bouquet of spring flowers. Hermione raced out the door to assume her position behind the altar.

Rose waited for a moment until she heard the strains from the wedding march begin. She exited the hall and began her slow walk up the aisle. Rose glanced up the aisle and spied her mother standing beside Blaise Zabini. The man was grinning widely and bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation of seeing his bride. Next Rose looked to Draco who looked quite dashing in his dress robes. Finally Rose's eyes settled upon Scorpius and her breath caught. Her wizard's eyes glittered with love and longing as they stared straight at her. Rose had to fight to break eye contact so she could continue her long walk without faltering.

Once she had arrived at her position she turned to face back down the aisle. Out of the corner of her eye, so saw Draco dissapparate from his position next to Blaise. Once Tracey settled next to Rose, the double doors to the garden opened once more. There was Daphne Greengrass, looking radiant. Rose heard Blaise's breathing stop.

The bride floated down the aisle on the arm of Draco Malfoy. She wore traditional white wedding robes and a serene smile. Draco steadily guided her to the altar where he untucked her hand from his arm. He placed her hand in Blaise's and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before returning to his spot beside Scorpius.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today.." began Hermione. Rose's attention was once again drawn to the blond wizard directly across from her.

Scorpius was staring at her and mouthed 'love you'. She smiled broadly and sent him an air kiss. The motion must have garnered Draco's attention because he drove an elbow into his son's ribs and sent him a half-hearted glare. Rose once again turned her attention to the beautiful vows that Daphne and Blaise were promising each other.

After the ceremony, Scorpius had escorted Rose back up the aisle and the rose garden was quickly transformed into a reception area and dance floor. Scorpius wasted no time in sweeping Rose into his arms and leading her in a dance.

"I'm glad you wore that dress again, love" Scorpius said.

"You recognize it then?" Rose asked.

Scorpius smirked, "Of course I do. From the first time I saw you in it at the dress shop, I fantasized about you wearing that," he lowered his voice and whispered directly in her ear, "I wanked so many times while I pictured undoing the laces up your back and finally having you. Reality is so much better than my fantasies," he said as he toyed with the bow holding the corseted back of the dress together.

Rose had to steady her breathing. She heard a voice ask, "Mind if I steal Rose away for a dance?"

She peeled her attention away from Scorpius to find Draco holding a hand out to her. Scorpius failed to suppress a growl at his father when Rose accepted his outstretched hand.

"Now, Scorpius," Hermione who had arrived at their side with Draco said, "You'll get her back. Besides, you can give me a spin around the dance floor while you wait".

Draco led Rose in a smooth waltz. It was obvious where Scorpius had gotten his dancing talent from. "You're Blaise's new favorite person, you know? I feel quite put out," Draco pouted.

Rose laughed loudly, "He did say that. Don't worry, I'm not about that usurp your position as best mate".

Draco smirked, "Thank you for that Rose". He spun her around. "How are things going with Scorpius?"

Rose blushed. She knew that Draco could not possibly be asking about their sexual activities, but it was the first thing that popped into her mind. She mentally blamed the third glass of champagne she had consumed. "It's wonderful. So much has changed in such a short amount of time. I feel like I should be scared, but I'm not. It's odd that it should have been such a smooth progression from being friends to something else. But after the initial misunderstanding, nothing has been awkward or weird," Rose said referencing the last wedding debacle and the impromptu trip to Boston.

"I'm happy to hear that. If he ever gets too stubborn for you to deal with, talk to me. I'll knock some sense into that boys head," Draco promised.

"You mean you'll team up with my mum and meddle in our lives some more?" Rose quirked an eyebrow.

Draco laughed loudly, "Well we have an excellent track record of meddling now. We're dancing at the wedding of our most recent successful scheme".

Rose giggled and shook her head. 'Such a Slytherin,' she thought.

"Give her back now, Dad," Scorpius interrupted.

Draco rolled his eyes and released Rose, "What do you say, Granger? Care to dance?" he asked Hermione.

"Sure Malfoy," Hermione said with a sly grin, "I've got a new plan that I need to discuss with you". She accepted his hand and he led them across the room. Rose and Scorpius observed the pair talking animatedly as they plotted.

"Any idea what they could be working on now?" Rose asked with trepidation.

Scorpius chuckled, "Best let them conspire". He swept Rose in close so that her body molded to his own. Their position was not conducive to dancing so the couple merely swayed to the music while they lost themselves in each other.

* * *

"Merlin, I'm knackered," Scorpius announced others later when they returned to Rose's flat. He threw himself onto the couch and closed his eyes.

"Is that right?" Rose asked.

Scorpius popped open one eye to glance at Rose, "You're not?"

"I am, but I need someone to help me out with the laces on this dress. I guess I can just grab my wand and loosen them," she moved to reach for her wand but he progress was stopped when Scorpius gripped her wrist.

"Don't you dare, love," he growled.

He spun her around so that she was facing away from him. Rose felt his finger dance up her hips and meet at the bow just above her arse. Slowly, Scorpius tugged the bow loose and began to unthread the ribbon from the corset. Scorpius trailed his finger along the skin he was exposing and Rose let out a shudder as sparks of pleasure shot through her. Soon, Scorpius pulled the ribbon away from the dress entirely and pressed his lips to her spine. She sighed as the satiny material fell away. When the dress was pooled around her feet, she stepped out of fabric and turned to face Scorpius.

Scorpius's eyes trailed along Rose's body. She felt her skin ignite wherever his stare traveled as her body shivered in anticipation. She had worn a matching green lace bra and thong set. She knew that her nipples were on clear display through the thin material. The bottom of her thong was damp with her arousal. She shifted her thighs to relieve a bit of pressure. This snapped Scorpius onto of his trace and he pulled down to straddle his lap on the coach. Rose could feel his hard cock straining against his pants to get to her core.

"Like I said, love," Scorpius whispered irreverently, "Reality is so much better than my fantasies". Rose had to agree.

* * *

-AN It's a lot of fun to team Hermione and Draco up as co-conspirators. Although they are my favorite non-canon couple, there is no romance between them in this story. They're just friends here.


	21. Chapter 21

April quickly faded into May. Rose invited Scorpius to the Remembrance Day Ball at the Ministry and they made their official public debut as a couple. The media went absolutely sideways trying to get the inside scoop on the relationship of the daughter of two war heroes and the son of a death eater. Rose was sick to death of those idiotic labels; people should not be defined by the accomplishments or actions of their parents from years before they were even born.

Thankfully, only tactful members of the press were allowed at the event itself. Her mother made sure that less scrupulous reporters, like Rita Skeeter, were barred from the hall. The ball was first and foremost to pay homage to those who had sacrificed themselves for the good of the world. Having gossip seeking pseudo journalists present was not in the spirit of the night. Thus, Rita was relegated to the entry hall, left only to report on the fashions people arrived in.

Neither Rose nor Scorpius were keen on sharing the intimate details of their relationship. Instead, they redirected the conversation to Rose's new status as an animagus and Scorpius's work with healing. Now that Rose was able to successfully transform, her employment with the Department of Mysteries had come to an end. Her boss had given her the option to adopt a new project, but she chose to leave the department all together. She was planning on taking a few months off but would then assume the position of Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts for the next school term. Headmistress McGonagall was thrilled to have her join the ranks of academia.

She and Scorpius were planning to look for a nice cottage in Hogsmeade soon. He would continue to work in the St. Mungo's research department and commute in by floo each day while she would walk to the castle. Now that his family curse was finally curtailed, he had moved on to other work. Phoenix tears had truly amazing healing properties and could be used in many traumatic injuries and emergency situations at the hospital. However, Rose was the only known phoenix animagus in the world and she just could not produce enough tears. His research now focused on replicating the tears without diminishing the positive properties. He was excited to share the work in hopes of garnering donations for St. Mungo's research department.

"Have you tried a variant of the Gemini Curse?" asked Parvati Patil, a former classmate of her parents' and now an esteemed staff writer for the Daily Prophet.

"That was one of my first attempts," admitted Scorpius, "unfortunately, the healing properties are lost that way. The twinned tear is just a simple human tear, identical to Rose's when she is in her human form".

Parvati smiled, "You're doing great work Scorpius. I'm sure many of our readers will be intrigued. Thank you for your time. Rose, have your mother give me a call sometime soon, will you? I'm planning a class reunion and she, by far, has the most schedule conflicts".

"Well, being Minister certainly keeps her busy," Rose laughed. She and Scorpius said goodbye to Parvati before he escorted her outside to get some fresh air.

When the couple exited onto the balcony, they bumped into James and Fred.

"Snuck off for a little alone time, ey Rosie?" teased Fred.

Rose rolled her eyes and deadpanned, "Yes," she turned to Scorpius and said, "guess you'll have to wait to have your knob polished".

Fred sputtered, "I do not need to hear that!"

Meanwhile James was trying to stop laughing. He had caught on to his sarcastic cousin's tone and knew she wasn't serious.

"Lighten up, Fred. We just came out here for some fresh air," Rose said. "What are you two up to anyway?"

"I dragged this fool," James said while pointing at Fred, "out here before he made an arse of himself in front of Priyanka again".

'Ah,' Rose thought, 'of course'. Fred and Priyanka Patil-Boot had dated off and on since Hogwarts. They made a smart couple, but their schedules were too chaotic to maintain much of a relationship. Priyanka worked as a Hit Witch in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Fred was the undersecretary to the British Ambassador to Italy. The split the most recent time almost a year ago.

"What did you do this time?" Rose asked Fred.

"Nothing," he muttered. Rose cocked an eyebrow and looked to James for elaboration.

"Fred was trying to slip her date for the evening a Ton Tongue Toffee," James said.

Fred glared at James, "It would have served the smarmy bastard right. That jerk had has hands all over her like she was some sort of trophy and I saw him lick her ear! I don't know how you put up with him for so long, Rosie".

"Wait, she's here with Daniel McLaggen?" Rose asked. When Fred nodded sadly, Rose declared, "Follow me. We're going to put a stop to this!" She swept back into the hall with the trio of wizards in her wake. Rose quickly spotted Priyanka and the offending wizard. She cast a silent, wandless immobulus over Daniel and stared him down, "You dare show your face here?!"

"Rose?" Priyanka asked in a panicked voice, "What's going on?"

"Your date isn't allowed on Ministry property after he was fired from his position months ago," Rose said. "Perhaps you should leave, Daniel".

Daniel's face turned bright red, "I was only fired because you're a cock tease. You went crying to mummy and suddenly I'm out of the job". He raised his hand to slap Rose but Scorpius caught his arm.

"You will never touch her again," Scorpius seethed dangerously.

"So the rumors are true then," Daniel mocked, "You're shagging this cold, limp fish now, ey Malfoy?"

In an instant, Scorpius smashed his fist into Daniel's nose while James and Fred hurled curses at him. Daniel clutched at his now broken nose and rolled on the floor in agony. "WHAT THE FUCK!" he moaned.

"What's going on here?" Harry Potter asked when he arrived on the scene moments later.

"Hey Dad!" James said brightly, "We're just reminding this sorry excuse for a human what happens when a man treats a woman poorly. Can you arrest this piece of trash now?"

Harry Potter looked at the group and said, "I'll have some questions for you all later. Are you alright Priyanka?"

The witch sniffled, "I'm fine Auror Potter".

"Please call me Harry," he said and levitated Daniel's body off the ground. "I think a night in a holding cell might be in order". With that, he left the group.

"I'm humiliated," Priyanka began to cry.

Fred slowly approached the tearful witch. He placed a single finger under her chin and lifted her face so that her eyes met his, "Don't be Priya. McLaggen is an egotistical piece of shit. Don't cry over that bastard".

Priyanka fell into Fred's arms and sobbed into his chest. Fred caught his cousins' eyes over the top of her head and silently conveyed the message that he'd take care of her. James nodded and walked away with Rose and Scorpius in tow.

Once they were a safe distance away, James complimented, "Nice punch Scorpius. I could hear the bones snap".

Scorpius grinned, "I've been wanted to do that for months since I left those marks on Rose". He ran his hand over Rose's arm where the hand shaped bruise had once been.

"HE DID WHAT TO YOU?!" James exploded.

"I took care of him myself," Rose huffed. "I hope that after tonight he'll have finally learned his lesson about how not to treat women".

James smiled darkly, "He should. I hit him with a jinx that'll make his bits breaks out in painful blisters whenever he gets within five feet of a woman".

Rose laughed, "Hey Scorp?"

"Yes, love?" he responded.

"When he inevitably shows up at St. Mungo's to get treatment, don't use any of my tears to cure him," Rose grinned. The three dissolved into fits of laughter.

* * *

A few weeks later, Rose and Scorpius took a portkey back to Boston for his graduation from Ilvermorny. Elena met them at MACUSA.

"Welcome back, you two!" the tiny, dark haired witch chirped. She launched herself at Rose and Scorpius chuckled at the scene.

"Hello Elena," he said.

Elena cocked her head to the side and observed him, "You look different. Lighter somehow?"

"I've had a huge weight taken off my shoulders since the last time I was state side. It's all thanks to this wonderful woman here," Scorpius said and pressed a kiss to Rose's hair.

"Awww," Elena sighed, "You two are impossibly sweet".

"By the way, thanks for putting me in contact with Katrina. Her restaurant is incredible," Scorpius said.

"She loved having you guys. I still haven't been there, it always felt like a date sort of place to me and I'm hopelessly single," Elena shrugged.

Rose considered her friend, "Don't let that hold you back. You'll come with me and Scorpius sometime".

"Sit at a romantic dinner with the waves of sexual energy pouring off you two? No thanks!" Elena grinned.

Rose chuckled and agreed, "Yeah, it might be a bit awkward. But have you at least tried that chocolate mousse? I dream about that mousse".

"One of the perks of being Katrina's sister is that she tried out her recipes on me when we were growing up," Elena said, "it took her many delicious failures to get the mousse airy enough and I was the lucky guinea pig who got to taste test".

Rose's stomach let out a large growl causing both Elena and Scorpius to laugh.

"Come on now, love," Scorpius said. "Let's get you fed. Care to join us, Elena?" Scorpius offered.

"Maybe next time," Elena said regretfully. "I've got a lunch meeting".

Scorpius and Rose left MACUSA and grabbed a quick lunch in the wizarding district off Newbury Street. They discussed the graduation ceremony that evening.

"When is your family getting here?" Rose asked.

Scorpius checked his watch, "Dad is at the townhouse now. He portkeyed in yesterday. He'll meet us over at Ilvermorny in a few hours. Aunt Daph and Uncle Blaise should show up at the same time. I think they're coming from the Caribbean via floo. It's so hard to keep track of where they are in their globe-trotting honeymoon".

"It's too bad that Albus couldn't make it," Rose said. Her cousin had planned on seeing his best friend graduate, but Alice had gotten sick a few days earlier. It was just a bought of food poisoning, but Albus wouldn't leave her side. Scorpius more than understood that he wanted to be with his girlfriend. Fortunately, the wizarding world had been experimenting with increased muggle technology and the graduation ceremony would be live streamed across the worldwide wizard web. Albus could watch Scorpius graduate from Alice's bedside in England.

"So the plan is for me to sit with your Dad, Daphne, and Blaise," Rose stated.

Scorpius nodded, "I'll join you all after the ceremony. There'll be a short reception afterwards, but according to Burroughs it's mostly for the seventh years. I made reservations for everyone at a muggle restaurant down on The Cape. Burroughs and Hill will join us there".

Rose and Scorpius finished their lunches and apparated to Ilvermorny. They quickly found Draco, Daphne, and Blaise. After only a few minutes, a professor who Rose did not recognize called Scorpius away to gather with the other graduates. He bid his party farewell and hurried across the campus.

Rose glanced at Draco, Blaise, and Daphne. They were all wearing suits and dresses appropriate for the ceremony. Rose glanced down at her own attire; she still wore her skinny jeans and a fitted tee. "I think I'll pop to the townhouse real quick to change".

"No!" said Daphne, "There's no time for that. Come with me. They've converted one of the dorms into a series of changing rooms for the guests of the graduates".

'That was nice of the Ilvermorny staff,' Rose thought. "Lead the way, Daphne".

Once there, Rose reached into the beaded bag she had borrowed from her mother and withdrew a sundress. The dress was made of soft, minty green cotton that made her features pop. The summer dress was tight around her torso before it flared around her hips and fell to her knees. The sleeveless dress was cut in a v-neck that was just deep enough to show a hint of cleavage. Rose swept her hair up and clasped the healing crystal necklace that Scorpius had bought her in Salem months before around her neck.

"May I do your hair?" Daphne offered.

"Yes, please," said Rose as she turned to face away from the older witch.

"I remember how your mother's hair was back in Hogwarts," Daphne said as she twisted a few coils of curls back away from Rose's face. "You're lucky that yours is more manageable," she noted and secured the curls with an ornate silver clip.

"My hair is a nightmare without potions and a detangling brush. I'm lucky that Mum paved the way for me to figure out what to do with this mess," Rose smiled as she examined Daphne's work. Her hair looked effortless and elegant at the same time.

A bell tolled outside indicating that the ceremony would be beginning soon. Daphne and Rose hurried to the great lawn as quickly as their heels would allow. They found Draco and Blaise flanking a pair of seat. Rose sat in the chair next to Draco and the ceremony began.

First came the speeches of the Headmaster and the Head Boy and Girl. The seventh years crossed the stage one by one to collect their diplomas and officially accept their wands as licensed witches and wizards. Rose's group clapped politely for each student while some other members of the audience hooted and hollered.

"Really?" Draco muttered under his breath. Rose suppressed a giggle at Draco's annoyance with a boisterous family cheering on their graduate. Rose had to admit the signs they held up would have been more appropriate at a quidditch match, rather than a school graduation.

Finally, it was time for the graduate students. Professor Hill recognized four witches and wizards who had successfully completed their training to become potions mastered. Another professor shook the hand of a witch who had completed a dual degree of muggle and magical law.

Rose's breath hitched when Professor Burroughs took to the stage. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, Mastery of Healing Genetics," he called. Rose felt her eyes well up with tears as Scorpius walked onto the stage wearing his blue and cranberry regalia. Instead of handing Scorpius his diploma like the previous advisors had done with their students, Burroughs pulled him in for a fierce hug. The dam broke and Rose began to openly weep. A silk handkerchief appeared in her line of vision and she glanced at Draco.

"Keep it together, Miss Weasley. We're English after all," Draco smirked. Despite his words, Rose could see the tears in his own eyes and the look of sheer pride on his face as he watched his son. Rose smiled and returned her attention to the stage. Burroughs handed Scorpius his diploma scroll and whispered something in his ear. Scorpius nodded and Burroughs clapped him on the shoulder. Scorpius walked to join the rest of the graduates as the ceremony concluded. When the headmaster introduced the Class of 2028, the crowd cheered loudly.

* * *

Hours later, the group was enjoying a wonderful dinner at a restaurant on a pier overlooking Cape Cod. The May air was still a bit cool, but the magical group chose to sit outside on the wrap-around balcony. They had no difficulty amplifying the strength of the muggle outdoor heaters and casting a few discreet warming charms of their own.

Wine and conversation flowed freely. Blaise provided a great deal of comic relief by ordering a whole lobster. He failed to remember that they were at a muggle restaurant and he could not simply extract the lobster meat with his wand. Burroughs gave Blaise a crash course in how to use a claw cracker and lobster pick, but even so they refined wizard was covered in seafood juice within minutes and begrudgingly donned a plastic bib.

The meal concluded with warm apple bread pudding and coffee. Daphne Zabini let out a loud yawn, "I'm sorry Scorpius, but I'm exhausted. I need to call it a night".

"That's alright, Aunt Daph. Thank you for being here today," Scorpius said and gave his aunt a peck on the cheek.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," she said, "I'm so proud of you". Blaise and Daphne excused themselves from the party and left to return to the next destination of their honeymoon.

"I think we should be going as well," said Burroughs. "Are you two ready?" he looked at Hill and Draco expectantly.

"You're not coming back to the townhouse with us, Draco?" Rose asked.

Draco smiled, "Not tonight, Rose. George and Jeremy have a spare room for me. They're taking me on a hike tomorrow and insist we have to leave before the sunrises".

Rose's mind conjured an image of aristocratic Draco Malfoy in hiking gear. She fought off a snort. The quintet paid the bill and left the restaurant. They walked up the coast until they reached an appartion point. Rose gave the three men hugs and they disappeared from sight.

"Are you ready, love?" Scorpius asked.

Rose leaned into his tall frame and gave him a quick kiss, "Let's go".

Rose felt a familiar tug behind her navel as Scorpius apparated them away. They landed in the pitch black.

Rose blinked her eyes and called, "Scorp?"

She heard a snap and suddenly the world was bathed in a soft golden light. Rose recognized that she was standing in the living room of Scorpius's townhouse. Hundreds of candles covered the surfaces of the room and floated in the air. Rose inhaled shallowly, "Scorpius?"

"Turn around, love," Scorpius whispered from behind her. She slowly spun around and gasped. Scorpius was down on one knee and reached out for her hands.

He took a deep breath, "Rose Minerva Weasley, I love you. You are my best friend, my soulmate, my everything. I love you with all that I am. Please make me the luckiest man alive and become my wife. Will you marry me?"

Rose's world spun and she sank to her knees. Tears began to stream down her face, "Yes, Scorpius," she accepted.

With a cry of joy, he grabbed her face and pulled her in for a long kiss. She eagerly returned the snog until he pushed her back. She gave him a questioning look until he pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. He grasped her left hand once more and revealed a sparkling ring. Set in platinum, the large, brilliant-cut, green center stone was surrounded by dozens of small, glittering diamonds. Scorpius carefully lifted the band from its place in the velvet box and slid it onto Rose's fourth finger. He lifted her hand to his mouth and placed a kiss upon the ring. Rose shivered.

"It's beautiful, Scorp," Rose whispered and wiped a tear that was streaming down her cheek.

"My fiancée is beautiful," Scorpius said, "so I had to find a ring to match".

"Fiancée? I like that," Rose grinned.

"So do I, love," Scorpius smirked. "And now, unless she objects, I'd like to make love with my fiancée".

"Please, Scorpius. Take me," Rose said.

He obliged and they slowly undressed one another taking time to share languid, sensual kisses in between each article of clothing. Once devoid of everything but Rose's new ring, they spent hours worshiping each other's bodies until the floating candles eventually flickered out.


	22. Chapter 22

-AN This story is quickly coming to a close. Just one chapter left before the epilogue. I've got at least one outtake planned too. Thanks for reading!

I've started another story. If you enjoy reading Draco/Hermione tales, please give it a chance.

* * *

Rose woke feeling exceptionally satisfied and more than a bit sore. Camping out of the living room floor had left a crick in her spine and the blankets that Scorpius had transfigured to mimic a mattress had done little to assist. At least it was better that rug burn, she supposed.

Rose's eyes remained firmly shut as her body started coming to life. She left Scorpius's hard body flush against her backside. She could feel his semi-hard cock resisting against her arse; with a slight shift she knew he'd easily slide into her once more. One of his arms was slid under her neck and his bicep served as her pillow. The hand on the opposite arm was slowly tracing mindless designs on the soft flesh of her naked belly. Rose let out a small sigh of pleasure and attempted to fall back into blissful unconsciousness to get another few hours of much needed sleep.

"I know you're awake, love," Scorpius whispered into the back on her neck. His warm breath tickled the sensitive skin and Rose groaned.

"How do you always know?" Rose croaked. She licked her lips to try and relieve some of the dryness in her mouth.

Scorpius ran his free hand up her stomach to palm her breast. He tweaked her nipple and her breath hitched, "That's how. Your breathing changes when you wake up. Especially when you start responding to my touches".

"You're insatiable," Rose turned in his arms so that she was now facing him. Their noses touched as she leaned in for an easy, good morning kiss. Before things could become too heated, she pulled away.

"As are you, Rose," he grasped her left hand and raised it to his lips. The stones in her rings glinted in the early morning light. "Be honest, do you like this? If not, we can go pick something else out together".

Rose felt almost insulted on the ring's behalf. "Don't you dare, Scorp. It's stunning. Look at the way the emerald catches the light," Rose wiggled her fingers in the stream of light pouring in through the window. The jeweled prism refracted the light and practically glowed.

"It's not an emerald," Scorpius stated, "It's a diamond. I visited the Malfoy vaults a few weeks ago to find Leta's ring. It was a bit too old fashioned, but I worked with a jeweler to design this with the same green diamond. I had a bit of help from your mother".

"My mum helped you design my ring?" Rose asked. She could hardly be surprised at her mother's involvement.

Scorpius smirked, "She confronted me at Aunt Daph's wedding. I had only moments before decided that I was going to propose when she swept in. Are you sure she's not a Legilimens?" Scorpius asked and Rose shrugged. "No? Well, she volunteered to help in any way she could. She borrowed one of your other rings so that we could have it sized. She also set up a meeting between me and your dad so I could ask for your hand".

"You didn't have to do that, Scorp!" Rose always thought that particular tradition was a bit rubbish.

"I want to stay on your dad's good side, love," Scorpius claimed. "He can be terrifying. He said that if I ever hurt you in any way, no one would ever find my body. I believe him".

Rose laughed and shook her head, "Who else knows that you were planning on proposing?"

"Umm," Scorpius stalled. Rose arched an eyebrow at him. "The thing is I met with your dad at the Burrow and he wasn't exactly quiet about it".

Rose caught on to what he was saying, "So my entire family will be waiting to descend when we return to England?" Rose rolled her eyes. "I suppose your dad knew, too."

"Yeah," Scorpius admitted, "he set up the candles in the townhouse. That's why he spent the night at Burrough's. He knew what I was planning when we returned last night".

"Ah, that makes a lot more sense than Draco Malfoy agreeing to go on a hike," Rose grinned.

Scorpius chuckled, "Oh no. The hike is real. Dad grumbled about that. Burroughs promised to take pictures of the catastrophe waiting to happen".

Rose giggled, "So what are we doing today, Scorp? Please don't say there is a hike in our immediate future".

"As much as I'd love to keep you naked right here with me forever, we're meeting Dad, Burroughs, and Hill in Salem for lunch if that's OK with you?" Scorpius asked.

Rose nodded, "I'm fine with that. But first, maybe a shower? We both reek of sex and sweat".

The corner of Scorpius's mouth upturned in a smirk, "Only if you agree to join me". He quickly stood and pulled Rose into his arms. Rose's legs instinctively wrapped around his waist as her arms came to rest around his shoulders. His hands readjusted so that he was supporting her arse and he strode towards the bathroom.

* * *

Hours later, Rose and Scorpius apparated to a deserted alleyway in Salem. The air was a bit chilly for late May, so Rose had opted to wear jeans and a cream colored sweater instead of the sundress she had planned on. Scorpius wore jeans and a sky blue button up with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. When they landed in Salem, Scorpius threaded his right hand through her left and ran a finger along her ring.

"You don't know how much I love seeing my ring on your finger, Rose," he smiled.

They walked hand in hand to the small café where they would meet the group. A small bell tinkled above the door when the couple entered. Rose noticed three heads staring at them in expectation. Rose giggled and lifted her left hand in to the air. Seconds later Rose found herself in the air.

"WHOOHOO!" crowed Burroughs as he swung her around. Rose giggled at the older man's exuberance. When he set her back on the ground she saw Hill was congratulating Scorpius.

"Can you refrain from manhandling my future daughter-in-law?" asked Draco with a smirk. He extracted Rose from Burrough's embrace and hugged her, "Congratulations Miss Weasley. Or should I say Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Mrs. Malfoy?" Rose whispered as it hit her.

"Dad," Scorpius scolded. "Rose, love, you don't have to take my name. We've got plenty of time to discuss that".

Rose shook her head, "No, no. I want to be Mrs. Malfoy. It just surprised me, that's all," she smiled. "I can't wait".

"Neither can I love," Scorpius swore.

Draco called the waiter to order a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

"I'm sorry, sir," the waiter apologized, "but we don't serve alcohol. Might I interest you in a green smoothie with a immunotherapy booster instead?"

"Green smoothie? Immunotherapy booster? What is that nonsense? What type of establishment did you bring us to Jeremy?" Draco asked Hill.

"Don't be so concerned, Draco," Hill replied. He addressed the waiter, "Just let P know we're coming up. Follow me folks," he beckoned to the group. He led the magical crew up a spiral staircase and into a solarium. The room was flooded with natural light from the floor to ceiling windows. A table was set at the center of the room with a white table cloth and fine glass ware. A bottle of champagne sat chilling in an ice bucket.

"This is much more appropriate," declared Draco. With his wand, he uncorked the bottle and poured six glasses.

"There are only five of us," Rose stated.

"Six," another voice announced. An older woman walked into the room from a hidden door.

"Priscilla?" Rose asked as she recognized the wiccan woman who had taken the aura photographs on their tour of Salem months before.

"Nice to see you again, Rose. Scorpius," Priscilla nodded to them, "I hear congratulations are in order".

"What are you doing here?" Rose asked, clearly confused. She stared in horror as she realized that Draco's wand was plainly visible.

"It's OK, Rose. Priscilla is my sister," Hill said.

Rose's eyes bulged. "Really?"

Priscilla smiled, "Half-sister technically. I'm not magical, but I'm aware of the world. It's nice to formally meet you".

"Did you know?" Rose turned to Scorpius.

"No, I didn't," Scorpius said and shot a look at Hill. "Although it was Jeremy who suggested hiring Priscilla for our tour". Hill whistled an innocent tune.

"Don't be cross," Priscilla reprimanded, "I've been dying to meet you for years".

"Wait," Scorpius was starting to cotton on, "So you knew I was a student at Ilvermorny. That's why you guessed that I was a doctor from the color of my aura".

"While I did know you were training to be a healer, your aura confirmed that your soul had a healing nature," Priscilla stated. "Aura photography does not lie. Even if it is confusing at times. Do you have any idea what your aura means Rose? Like I said before, I've never seen anything like it."

"Yes, but it's better if I show you," Rose glanced around at the walls of windows, "Are there shades on these?"

"It's mirrored on the other side. No-majs can't see in," Priscilla promised.

Rose nodded and concentrated. In an instant she shifted in her phoenix.

"What the hell?!" Priscilla exclaimed.

"Rose is an animagus," Scorpius explained as Rose shifted back into her human form once more.

"I can change into a phoenix at will," Rose continued. "The first time I shifted I was quite literally born from flames. A person's animagus form comes from their soul. That must be why my aura looked so fiery".

"That's amazing," Priscilla said. "What do you turn into Jer?"

Hill laughed, "I have no idea and no inclination to find out. It takes an astounding amount of work to become an animagus. After you finish, you have to register with the government too. It's not for me".

"Fair enough," Priscilla concluded. "Now I believe a celebration is in order".

The six raised their champagne flutes into the air and cheered Rose and Scorpius. Scorpius leaned in to give Rose a soft kiss. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you," Rose returned.

"So when's the wedding?" Burroughs interrupted. Draco scowled at his new friend and Scorpius laughed at his mentor's intrusiveness.

"August 19th," Rose said.

"This August? That's only three months away. It can't be done," Draco stated emphatically.

"Dad," Scorpius rolled his eyes, "we don't want some traditional pure-blood wedding that takes a year to plan. I just want Rose to be my wife. If I thought she'd agree, I'd whisk her away to elope today".

"I'd gladly do that, but I'm pretty sure my parents would murder us if we went through with it," Rose grinned. "We discussed it this morning. We've decided to rent a hall in Paris. Malfoy Manor was out of the question for some of my family members and Scorpius thought that Lucius would object to The Burrow".

Draco's eyes widened, "Have you spoken with your grandfather yet, Scorpius?"

"I have and he was just as thrilled as you'd expect," Scorpius said sarcastically. "Grandmother is happy for me, though so that was a pleasant surprise. She promised to make grandfather behave".

"If there are any issues, I'll remove him myself," Draco swore and Rose shot him a grateful smile.

"We're keeping the guest list relatively small," Rose said and smiled at the group, "you'll all be invited of course".

"Thank you, Rose, but I won't be able to attend," Priscilla said. "I'm terrified of airplanes and the magical methods of transportation aren't available to me".

"If you'd like, we can set up a live broadcast for you," Rose offered.

"That would be wonderful!" Priscilla said.

"Well we'll be there!" Burroughs exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you two love birds".

"Thanks Burroughs," Scorpius said.

Draco clapped a hand on his son's shoulder, "Your mother would be so happy for you. She'd have loved you, Rose".

Rose squeezed Scorpius's hand, "She sounds like an incredible woman". Scorpius lifted her hand to press a kiss against her ring once more.

Draco interrupted the tender moment by clearing his throat, "If my son gives you any trouble, just come to me Rose. It's my responsibility as your father-in-law to keep him in line".

Scorpius groaned, "Why does everyone threaten me so? First her father, now you".

"Oh shite," moaned Draco.

"What's the matter?" asked Rose.

"I just realized that when you two marry, your parents will become my in-laws too," Draco paused as a look of horror crossed his face, "I've got no issues with Granger but I'm going to be related to The Weasel King," he griped.

Rose and Scorpius dissolved into fits of laughter. Burroughs and Hill fought to suppress their chuckles.

"What's a weasel king?" asked Priscilla. "Is that some sort of animagus too?"

Burrough lost his battle against his laughter. With a large snort, he gave into the hilarity of the moment.

"Whatever you say, ferret," Rose choked out through her giggles. Scorpius captured her lips in a jovial kiss once more.


	23. Chapter 23

-AN I'm so sorry for the delayed update. The last two weeks have been insane for me. My dog had surgery and it's been a very long and exhausting couple of weeks. Luckily, she's recovering well but sleep is still a rare commodity. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Rose leaned back in her oversized leather chair and sighed. A kind woman was kneading her sore calf muscles as her feet soaked in an intoxicating mixture of effervescent bubbles and scents. Although it would have been far quicker to give herself a pre-wedding pedicure with a wave of her wand, some things were just better the muggle way. From the contented noises coming from the chairs beside her, Rose was fairly certain that Lily and Roxie agreed.

Rose had invited Elena to join the bridal party for pampering, but the American witch opted to get ready with her sister instead. Rose and Scorpius hired Katrina to cater the reception. Planning the day had been extremely easy, Rose recalled. She and Scorpius had chosen a magical ballroom in the Latin Quarter that had a romantic flair. Luckily, the day they picked to wed had an opening because the couple who originally booked the date eloped in Fiji instead.

Roxanne and Lily were obvious picks as Rose's bridesmaids. She contemplated asking Elena as well, but decided to only have her two cousins stand up for her. Scorpius had, of course, asked Albus to be his best man. Surprisingly, he asked James to be his other groomsman. The pair had bonded after Scorpius decked Daniel at the Remembrance Day Ball. Little Philippe was their ring bearer, but at only 8 months old would be carried down the aisle by Victoire.

"Another round ladies?" asked a very helpful shop assistant carrying a tray of champagne flutes. Rose, Lily, and Roxanne all gratefully accepting their drinks and raised them to their lips. "WAIT!" cried the assistant and grabbed the glass out of Roxanne's hand. He hustled off to the background leaving Lily and Rose with perplexed looks upon their faces. He returned in a moment and placed another glass into Roxanne's grasp. She smiled and took a sip.

"What the ruddy hell was that about?" Lily asked.

"Mine is sparkling cider," Roxanne replied.

Rose's jaw dropped open. "Why would you want to drink sparkling cider when there's delicious champagne?" Lily asked. Roxanne simply lifted an eyebrow and waited until Lily cottoned on. "YOU'RE PREGNANT?!"

Roxanne beamed, "Two months along".

Lily and Rose were out of their chairs and scurrying over to Roxanne as fast as their toe separators would allow. The trio embraced in a group hug of giggles and congratulations.

"Why didn't you say something?" Rose asked.

"We wanted to wait until I'm out of the first trimester before making a big announcement," Roxanne said. "Plus I didn't want to divert any attention away from you and Scorpius. This weekend is about you".

"I love you Roxie," Rose said. "How's Lysander doing?"

Roxanne smiled slyly, "He's terrified. He pretends like he's not, but I can tell when he's panicking. It's sweet. He's reading through every baby book that he can get his hands on. For a while we were both thinking that I was going to have twins all thing considered. Fortunately, there's only one baby in there this time," she said while caressing her still flat stomach.

"I can't believe you're having a baby," Lily said and turned to Rose, "and you're getting married! When did we all get so old?"

Rose laughed, "When are you going to settle down Lils?"

Lily shuddered at the thought, "Not for a long time, I hope. I'll leave that to the two of you. And Al. And Fred." Albus and Alice had recently bought a house and Fred and Priyanka successful rekindled their relationship after the debacle at the Remembrance Day ball. "I'm way too busy for a relationship. Plus I don't want to be tethered to any one person right now".

"That's not the way I hear it," Rose said knowingly.

Roxanne's attention was piqued, "Do tell".

"Scorpius has had the misfortune of walking in on Lily Luna here several times in the on call room at St Mungo's," Rose informed despite the glare she received from the witch in question. "It seems she's been canoodling with Healer MacMillan".

"Wait, wait, wait," Roxanne said, "Scorpius walked in on Lily and Cooper shagging?"

Lily growled at her cousins, "He didn't see anything. We don't shag in the on call room. But sometimes it's nice to fall asleep with him there".

"You don't shag there, but do you shag elsewhere?" Roxanne asked knowing that she was following a juicy lead.

Lily blushed and mumbled, "I go home with him sometimes". Roxanne and Rose crowed at the revelation. "He's convenient. We both have insane schedules and sometimes I just need that human connection. It's a mutually beneficial, orgasm driven relationship. Nothing else".

"But it is a relationship," Rose focused on Lily's own words.

Lily harrumphed, "Whatever," and her cousins knew that Lily was getting testy.

"So Rose," Roxanne changed the subject, "any plans for you and Scorpius to create a mini-Malfoy soon?"

News about the curse that had once plagued Scorpius had not been widely shared. Rose's parents and Albus were her only family members who had been informed. Now that the curse was a thing of the past, there was no need to share the painful details with anyone else. Although Rose had been honest with Scorpius that carrying a child of her own did not matter to her, she was happy that having a "mini-Malfoy" was now a possibility.

"We're going to wait a few years before we start trying," Rose said. "I'm starting at Hogwarts in a few weeks and I want to settle into being a professor before we think about having a baby".

"Don't think I don't know about you coming to St. Mungo's for the morning after potion," Lily said with a note of vengeance. Rose blushed. She and Scorpius weren't the best at remembering contraceptive charms when the mood overtook them. "I bet your expecting by this time next year".

Rose scowled at her younger cousin.

"I don't think so," said Roxanne.

"Thank you Roxie," Rose said, "at least someone has faith in me," and stuck her tongue out at Lily.

Roxanne grinned, "She'll be knocked up by Christmas and then our kids can go to Hogwarts together".

Rose sputtered in indignation. Lily laughed, "Ten Galleons says I'm right".

Roxanne shook her hand and said, "You're on!"

* * *

"You don't have to go through with this Rosie," Ron said as he waited with his daughter behind the double doors leading into the ballroom. "Just say the word and I'll apparate you out of here and you can move back home with your mum and me".

Rose rolled her eyes at her absurd father. The closer the wedding had gotten the more blatant his attempts to halt her union to Scorpius. She knew that he genuinely liked Scorpius now, but that he didn't want to see his baby girl married. It was sweet in a frustrating way.

"Leave it alone, Uncle Ron," Lily said earning a glare from her favorite uncle. Lily and Roxanne were standing off to the side of the room in their bridesmaids gowns. Rose had chosen sky blue, silk column dresses that flattered both Lily and Roxanne's skin tone and hair. Both bridesmaids had their hair pulled back into French twists with icy grey flowers interwoven. They carried bouquets of matching flowers that perfectly reflected the color of Scorpius's eyes. Rose knew that he and his groomsmen would be wearing matching boutonnieres. She couldn't wait to see him.

"I'm marrying my best friend today, dad," Rose said serenely. She smoothed the fabric of her own gown. Rose wore an ivory dress with shimmering silver threads creating a swirling pattern as they caught the light. The strapless, drop-waist down clung to her torso and emphasized her ample curves without being overt. She wore a traditional muggle style veil to honor her mother's heritage that was pinned to the crown of her head with a diamond hair comb on loan from Narcissa Malfoy.

The Malfoy matriarch had graciously welcomed Rose into her family. She was thrilled that her grandson had found love with "such an exceptional witch". Rose was both shocked and pleased by her easy acceptance. Lucius, on the other hand, was slower to accept the impending union. He moaned and complained about Scorpius finding a proper mate of noble blood and even tried to bribe Rose to end the engagement. Only when Narcissa threatened to leave Lucius did he finally agree to accept the inevitable and promise to not cause a scene at the wedding. He adamantly stated that he'd be leaving as soon as the ceremony was completed so that he wouldn't have to interact with Rose's family for longer than absolutely necessary. Rose and Scorpius supposed that was the best they could hope from the backwards wizard who was still firmly stuck in the past.

An otter patronus suddenly floated into the hallway where the group was waiting. "It's time," announced the voice of her mother from the silvery otter.

Roxanne and Lily lined up behind the double doors. When the music cued up, the doors opened allowing first Roxanne and then Lily to leave. Rose placed her hand into the crook of Ron's arm. "It's time, Dad".

"I love you, Rosie," Ron said quietly.

She had just enough time to smile at her father before the double doors opened wide once more and her breath left her body. She did not see the seats containing her family and friends that lined either side of the aisle. She did not see Lily or Roxanne as they stood at the front of the room. She did not see James or Albus looking smart in their dress robes. Rose didn't notice her own mother glancing down the aisle with unshed tears of happiness twinkling in her eyes. She saw only Scorpius.

Her wizard was gazing at her from across the distance. Like a magnet, she felt drawn to him. He wore impeccable black dress robes with silver trim and an ivory shirt underneath. Scorpius was clean shaven and his jaw looked positively lickable. The corner of his mouth was upturned in the characteristic smirk that Rose adored. His platinum blond hair was artfully tousled and Rose longed for the opportunity to thread her fingers through the silky locks. His icy grey eyes sparkled with affection and love.

Ron guided Rose down the aisle until they reached the altar. He carefully removed Rose's hand from his arms and placed it in Scorpius's. "You better be good to my daughter, ferret," Ron said in jest.

"I will be," Scorpius promised. He squeezed Rose's hand lightly.

"Are you ready for this?" Rose asked in a whisper.

Scorpius chuckled and challenged, "Are you?"

Rose rolled her eyes at the crazy, wonderful man in front of her.

"If I may," Hermione interrupted the moment and caused both Rose and Scorpius to blush, "Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to join this witch and this wizard in matrimony. . ."

Rose tuned her mother out as she rambled through the requisite phrases required in a wizarding wedding. She instead gazed longing into Scorpius's eyes as they made each other silent promises of love and eternity.

"Now Rose," Hermione said once again regaining Rose's attention, "repeat after me. 'I Rose Minerva take thee Scorpius Hyperion to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part and thereto I pledge you my love and faithfulness".

Rose repeated her vows while Scorpius held her hands. Scorpius repeated the same words back to her and Victoire carried Philippe up to the altar and Rose and Scorpius briefly separated to pick up their rings.

"With this ring," Rose whispered as she slid the platinum band onto Scorpius's fourth finger, "I thee wed".

Scorpius slid Rose's wedding band onto her finger to join her sparkling engagement ring, "With this ring, I thee wed".

Hermione waved her wand over Scorpius and Rose's joined hands. Rose felt her wedding ring heat and knew that they were now bonded. "With these rings, I now pronounce you eternally bonded as husband and wife. Scorpius, you may kiss the bride".

Scorpius slowly raised the veil over Rose's face and cupped her cheek. He leaned forward and gave her a chaste kiss that succeeded in stoking her passion. She laced her fingers through his hair, ran her tongue along the seam of his lips, and deepened the kiss. She could hear wolf-whistles and cheers from the crowd but couldn't bring herself to care. Only when she heard her own mother say, "Might want to save something for the honeymoon," did she release her grip on her new husband.

"I'm pleased to present to you," Hermione announced, "Rose and Scorpius Malfoy!" Scorpius grabbed Rose's hand and the raced up the aisle to find a quiet room to have a little bit of private time to celebrate away from the crowd.

* * *

Hours later, the reception was in full swing. Rose and Scorpius had been teased for sneaking away to have a quickie after the ceremony. In truth, they had escaped to just talk and kiss. Even though their kisses had gotten a bit heated, both of their outfits had remained in place. They'd have plenty of time for more later on that night.

Scorpius was guiding Rose across the ballroom floor. They and their guests had indulged on Katrina's many culinary creations and were ambling across the dance floor to work off some of the rich food before dessert. Katrina was lapping up the compliments and looked forward to the influx of business from the British wizarding world. She was talking to Ron about opening up another restaurant in Diagon Alley. Ron, the bottomless pit, was keen on having easy access to the delicious edibles and was discussing becoming a partner in a new restaurant.

Albus, who had inherited his father's lack of dance ability, was swaying with Alice nearby. Fred and Priyanka were snogging rather violently across the room. Dominique, Lucy, and Molly were chasing after the attractive servers that Katrina had brought. Lily, Louis, and Hugo were in a heated discussion at their table. Victoire and Teddy, who had sent Philippe off to bed with Grandma Molly an hour before, were twirling elegantly.

"Look over there, love" Scorpius said to Rose and gestured his head to the side. Rose glanced around and was surprised at what she saw.

James and Elena were having a quiet conversation as he led her in a proper waltz. As far as Rose knew, her playboy cousin did not know how to dance but she could see that she was plainly wrong about that. A small smile graced both James and Elena's faces as they spun.

"Huh," Rose said inconclusively, "What do you think about that?"

Scorpius considered it for a moment, "It's odd. We'll have to keep an eye on that. Maybe invite her to visit us in Hogsmeade in a few months and schedule James to pop by at the same time".

"You've clearly inherited the meddlesome gene from your father," Rose grinned.

"It seems his and your mother's interference has paid off many times over. It's not a bad skill to have at all," he said with a laugh. "What do you say we go grab some of Katrina's desserts now so we can dodge out of here soon? I've got a few surprises planned for tonight."

Rose felt a surge of heat pass through her body at the thought. "Lead the way, Scorp".

* * *

After saying goodbye to their guests, Rose wrapped her arms around Scorpius and allowed him to apparate them away. With a soft thud, they landed on stone balcony overlooking a beautiful garden.

"Where are we?" Rose asked.

"Welcome to our honeymoon, love," Scorpius said. "We're in the Loire Valley, just outside of Amboise. This is Le Chateau de Malfoy". The large, stone building more closely resembled a castle than anything else. "This was my family's ancestral home before they invaded Britain".

"It's beautiful, Scorp," Rose said in awe of the architecture. Rose's knowledge of the Malfoy family made her aware that the building must be over one thousand years old.

"I'm glad you like it, love, because it's ours now," Scorpius said with a smile.

"WHAT?!" Rose exclaimed.

"It's my father's wedding present to us. So we have a place to go during the summer months when you aren't teaching. He worked it out with your mum that we can hook the floo into the British system so I can commute to St. Mungo's. We can stay in Hogsmeade too if you'd rather, but.."

Rose cut him off by pressing her lips to his. "I love it, Scorpius". She leaned into him and reengaged their kiss. The fire ignited between them and Rose broke away. "Take me to bed, Scorpius. Love me".

"For every day for the rest of my life," Scorpius pledged and pulled Rose up into his arms. He carried her bridal style across the threshold and into their new home.

He gently laid her down on a bed that was impossibly large and stared down at her in wonder.

"You look beyond beautiful in that dress Rose, but I need to get you out of it". With a quick wave of his wand, Rose's gown was off her body and hanging on the back of the door. Rose was left in a white corset and skimpy lacy knickers. Scorpius began to devour her body while alternating words of love and promises of forever. Rose lost herself in clouds of lust and returned the sentiments of love to him.

Soon enough, Rose and Scorpius were separated by nothing but air. Scorpius looked deeply into Rose's eyes searching for permission. Rose arched her back up to bring his hardness closer to her heat. "Make love to me, Scorpius. Make me yours".

Scorpius shifted his hips forward and slowly entered her body. When he was fully seated within her, Rose felt an electric heat burn into her finger from underneath her wedding band. Rose knew that Scorpius felt the same thing as he grasped their left hands together above her head. Their bonding was completed as they made love for the first time as husband and wife. He was hers and she was his. Forever.


	24. Chapter 24 - Epilogue

Neither Roxanne nor Lily won their pre-wedding bet. When first Christmas and then their one year anniversary came to pass, the gambling witches were sorely disappointed when Rose's abdomen remained as flat as ever. Rose and Scorpius remained hopeless in remembering to use the contraceptive charm each time they fell into each other's arms. However, Scorpius, being the enterprising healing researcher that he was, adapted a muggle method for birth control to suit their needs. He could inject Rose with a shot that would prevent conception for six months at a time.

Rose started her tenure as Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts two weeks after the wedding. She loved almost everything about teaching; from the looks of pride on her younger student's faces when they first managed to transfigure a rodent into a goblet to the deep understanding and passion her NEWT level students exhibited for the subject. She didn't even mind marking papers- some of the early responses were downright humorous in how terribly wrong they were. She could do without supervising detentions, but it was one of the job responsibilities that she could not shirk. Cheering on her lions in Quidditch on a regular basis made up for the occasion detentions.

Scorpius was still busy researching new and innovative cures for magical diseases. Each morning, Rose and Scorpius would wake in their Hogsmeade cottage and enjoy a quiet morning together before he'd floo to St. Mungo's. With the exclusion of detention nights, he and Rose would return home at about the same time. Scorpius frequently took the opportunity to bounce new treatment ideas off Rose. Although she wasn't well versed in the specifics of healing, sometimes she could help him see a problem from a different angle.

Scorpius's contraceptive shot became wildly popular with their peers after Rose suggested he make it available to others. It had been a bit of a hurdle legally for the shot to be available to underage witches who wanted reliable birth control. Eventually, and with a little help from Minister Granger-Weasley, any witch who wanted the shot could visit a healer. Underage witches were required to listen to a brief lecture on the importance of good sexual health before the shot could be administered, but in Rose's opinion it was a minor obstacle to ensure that no students had to cut their educations short due to an unplanned pregnancy. Apparently many of her students agreed as baskets full of Honeyduke's chocolate and thank you cards addressed to Professor Malfoy poured into her office following the shots release.

It had taken Rose nearly a semester to get used to her new name. She had considered hyphenating like her mother had done, but chose to use Malfoy solely. She joked that she was trying to spare her father a heart attack from reading Weasley-Malfoy, but the truth was that she enjoyed being Rose Malfoy.

True to her new Malfoy surname, Rose had taken up her father-in-law's meddlesome game. Without much coaxing, Rose convinced Elena to come for a visit in January. Scorpius surreptitiously invited James for the same weekend. As it turned out, there was no need for the Malfoys to interfere. Elena and James had been regularly corresponding since the wedding and James was planning a trip to Boston later that spring. Scorpius promised James that he could stay at his Beacon Hill townhouse but threatened that he better scrougify any "messes" he made. Rose casually dropped hints that Elena should give James a massage when he visited. When Elena and James returned home after the weekend in Hogsmeade, Rose and Scorpius applauded themselves on advancing the relationship.

At the end of February, Rose received a floo call in the middle of the night to get to St. Mungo's immediately. In a sleepy panic, Rose wrapped a sheet around her naked body and stumbled into the fireplace. She crash landed in the entry way to the wizarding hospital to find her entire extended family. Her mother took pity on her and transfigured the sheet into a slip dress until Scorpius could arrive with some real clothing. The large group then waited for hours until Lysander announced the birth of Arthur Newton Scamander.

Pair by pair, the Weasley family rotated into Roxanne's room to offer congratulations and coo over the infant. Roxanne asked Rose if she would be baby's godmother and she happily accepted. Fred would serve as godfather. Fred was honored but asked why they hadn't asked Lorcan. Lysander rolled his eyes and responded that while he loved his twin, he wouldn't trust him to care for a potted plant let alone a human. The other Scamander simply inhabited another plane of existence.

Rose's first year as a professor came to an end in June and she and Scorpius retired to the Malfoy estate in France. After only a week of idleness, Rose became exceedingly bored at the palatial house when Scorpius flooed to St Mungo's during the day. Rose decided to once again put her animagus abilities to good use and volunteered to help Uncle Harry in the Auror department. Every morning, Rose flooed to the Ministry. Because she was not an Auror, she could not go on missions but her previous security clearance with the Department of Mysteries allowed her access to all of the files. Rose was on hand to receive the Auror's after missions and administer tears if necessary. She also taught brief seminars on facial transformation and concealment.

Meb Adero had shined in his internship with the Auror department the previous summer and Rose was happy to see that he was at the top of his recruitment class. For reasons that were only known to Rose and Harry, Adero excused himself from the room whenever Rose would transform into her phoenix. The trauma he had endured with his own failed transformation would continue to haunt him for a long time. However, his advanced knowledge of human transformation made him the star pupil in Rose's seminars.

The summer flew by and the new school term would be starting shortly. Harry made Rose promise that she'd teach future classes of recruits and she happily agreed. Rose truly did love teaching and was happy she had found her calling.

Scorpius and Rose spent their first anniversary in Paris. Katrina was thrilled to book them a table at her flagship restaurant and passed on a message through her maître d that she was sad to miss their visit but was busy getting the Diagon Alley branch off the ground. Ron, true to his word and the demands of his stomach, became a silent partner in the new restaurant and the grand opening was planned for August 28 to attract the last minute Hogwarts shopping crowd.

Rose and Scorpius dined on rich food but asked for their chocolate mousse to go. They apparated back to their chateau and enjoyed the dessert on the terrace overlooking the garden as the sun set.

"I'll be a little sad to return to Hogsmeade," Scorpius admitted.

"Hmmm," Rose agreed through a mouthful of chocolate goodness. She swallowed and continued, "I love it here, but there's no way I could commute to Hogwarts every day from France".

Scorpius shrugged, "Very true. But I love it that it's just us here. In Hogsmeade, we constantly have people popping in on us. Here, we have to plan to have company. For the most part, I get you all to myself. Next summer I want to have more naked weekends with you," he smirked alluding to the long weekend that neither had donned a speck of clothing. They'd made love in the garden, shagged in the shower, and passed out in orgasmic bliss on the table after Scorpius had feasted on Rose's arousal. It had been an excellent weekend.

"What if it's not just us next summer?" Rose asked.

Scorpius arched an eyebrow at her. "You want to unblock the floo so people can pop in like they do in Hogsmeade? Come on, Rose," he whined.

"No, I didn't mean that," Rose paused for a moment gathering her thoughts. "What if there was someone else here with us?" Scorpius cocked his head to the side in confusion. Rose continued, "I'm up for my next shot next week. What if I didn't take the shot?"

Scorpius's sharp mind quickly latched onto what Rose was saying. "You want to try to get pregnant?" he whispered in disbelief.

"Only if you want to," Rose replied gently. "We're in this together. If you aren't ready.."

Scorpius cut her off with a searing kiss. When he pulled away both were panting to regain their breath. "I want nothing more than to have a child with you, Rose".

"OK," Rose said as calmly as she could. "I won't take the shot now. I'll go back on in November if we don't conceive by then. I want to have a child in the summer so it won't impact the school term. If it doesn't happen this year, we can try again next year".

Scorpius laid his hand gently on Rose's abdomen and rubbed small circles that caused shivers to shoot through her body.

"There's no baby in there now, Scorp," Rose reminded him unnecessarily.

"I know," he admitted, "but there will be soon. I believed for so long that this would never happen for me. For us. But it's possible. I love you".

"I love you too, Scorpius," Rose pledged and leaned in for a kiss. The simple peck soon turned into a heated snog and Scorpius was only too happy to divest them of their clothing. When Rose caught him gazing longingly at her uncovered abdomen she said, "I won't be able to get pregnant for a few more weeks at least. The last shot is still in my system".

"I know love," he said and then grinned at her wolfishly, "but practice makes perfect and I will take any opportunity I can to practice putting a baby inside you".

Rose's laughs quickly turned to moans as Scorpius lavished her body under the stars on the chateau's stone terrace.

* * *

Draco Malfoy raced through the halls of St. Mungo's. He was hot and sweaty for the humid July air and looked entirely unkempt but he couldn't find it in himself to care. He skidded to a stop in front of a large glass window and searched.

"Evening ferret," a voice sounded drawing him out of his reverie.

Draco's head shot up to find a pair smiling at him. "Weasel, Granger," he nodded at them in recognition and returned to his perusal of the window.

"Over there," Hermione said. "First row, third one from the left".

Draco eyes followed her instructions and when they landed on their destination he felt his heart stop for a moment. There, lying in a bassinet was a beautiful baby with a tuft of strawberry blonde hair poking out from underneath a white cap. Draco took inventory of the baby's delicate features; a chubby rounded face, a somewhat pointed nose, and the corner of the lips pulled up in the classic Malfoy smirk.

"What do you think, Grandpa?" asked Ron.

Draco rolled his eyes at his former nemesis and sarcastically replied, "Takes one to know one".

"I thought they would have stuck with your family tradition and gone with some sort of star name," Ron shrugged.

Draco caught Hermione rolling her eyes at her clueless husband. "Are you sure you passed your Astronomy OWL?" Draco asked. "That's the stinger in the Scorpius constellation".

"Really?" Ron pondered, "Shaula Malfoy".

The little girl in the bassinet on the other side of the glass wiggled as though responding to her name.

"How's Rose doing?" Draco asked while not being able to take his eyes off his precious granddaughter.

"She's well," Hermione replied. "Exhausted of course, but everything went smoothly. She and Scorpius are learning to nap whenever Shaula does. They should be able to go home tomorrow morning".

"I was shocked to hear they had a girl," Draco said, "she's the first in the Malfoy line in a few centuries".

"If anyone was going to defy the odds, it was going to be Rose and Scorpius," Hermione stated with a note of pride. "Did they tell you her middle name?"

"No," Draco said and reluctantly pulled his eyes away from his granddaughter so that they could drift to the name tag on the bassinet. His breath caught and a tear formed in his eye and he whispered, "Shaula Astoria Malfoy". Draco felt Ron Weasley's hand settle on his shoulder and accepted the gesture as a sign of support. "She wanted a little girl," Draco recalled.

"And now she has a beautiful granddaughter as a namesake," Hermione said gently. The trio of grandparents continued to gaze at the child for a few hours until the St. Mungo's staff took Shaula away to Rose and Scorpius.

The unlikely group walked together through the corridors of St Mungo's to find Rose's room. They spotted Rose and Scorpius on the small hospital cot with Shaula lying comfortably in her father's arms. The scene was idyllic and felt like the most natural thing in the world. The new parents smiled at their visitors and beckoned them inside.

"Still don't believe our lives are ruled by fate, Granger," Draco needled to brunette witch to his side.

"Whatever you say ferret," Hermione responded with a grin.

* * *

-AN It's over! Thank you to everyone who read An Unspoken Truth. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing.

I'm contemplating adding a few short outtakes, but for now Rose and Scorpius's story is done.


End file.
